<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Uncertain Futures by Andi_The_Writer</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24623227">Uncertain Futures</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andi_The_Writer/pseuds/Andi_The_Writer'>Andi_The_Writer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The War Is Just Beginning [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Divergence - Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I love star wars way to much, More tags will be added later, Pain, References to Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Some Humor, bamf jedi, first fic, fluff is great, jedi are very powerful, needed to recreate star wars, please don't sue me!, some slow burn because I'm horrible, the sith are very naughty beings, uncertain futures for all</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:47:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,429</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24623227</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andi_The_Writer/pseuds/Andi_The_Writer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>With the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance, many choices will be made that will define the future. And that future is very uncertain, especially to all of the players involved in the scheme made by the secretive Darth Sideous. But the future isn't set when the game is still unfinished. And little does everyone know, the war is just beginning.</p><p>-this fic starts at the beginning of season 5 of the TV series, "Star Wars, The Clone Wars," and will continue from there.<br/>I hope you enjoy this story as much as I love writing it!  :)<br/>(I don't own any Star Wars characters, plots from movies/Tv, etc.)<br/></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anakin Skywalker &amp; Ahsoka Tano, CC-2224 | Cody &amp; Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The War Is Just Beginning [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780279</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! If you are reading this right now, know that I am incredibly happy about it. This is my first experience writing fan fiction, after falling in love with the stories posted by such amazing writers on this website, and I hope that you enjoy. Please comment and tell me about your experience reading this. I would love to hear your opinions! (Criticism is always appreciated so I can be a better writer).</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The city was on fire. </p><p>Smoke filled the lungs of the people caught in the fighting, blinding them as they stumbled through the war-torn streets. Everywhere, the screams of the dying filled the souls unlucky enough to be running from the clone soldiers, as they were reminded of their own fates soon to come. Blood was slick on the stone lining the poorer districts beneath the feet of those soldiers as they opened fire. And when the clones fired, many fell, knowing it was impossible to escape from their own fates. </p><p>Ever since the people had seen the clones in their scratched and dented armor from recent bloodshed land in the city from the many republic cruisers in orbit high above, they knew their own fates were sealed. The weapons that used to kill hundreds of battle droids were now locked onto the helpless citizens that they had pledged to protect. And what did they do? They fired, and the survivors ran, seeking cover from their own futures. </p><p>Nowhere was safe, not anymore. </p><p>The lucky ones soon became the unlucky as they realized their fate would be the same as their own neighbors only moments ago. The planet used to be peaceful, had been that way for generations, untouched by the repercussions of the Clone Wars. Their leaders had kept them safe, knowing that peace could not be fought for and end that way. There would always be effects, ones that didn't seem to dawn on the civilians until that moment. </p><p>And as the remaining Jedi, the protectors of that peace which they had fought so hard for, watched as their own city burned around them, just like the many in the galaxy, and the Sith, after thousands of years, finally took control, they understood. And watched as all they held dear, was taken from them. Then their own lives at the blood covered hands of the chancellor himself, Darth Sideous. The Jedi order fell, and in its place rose the empire which the leader had striven for all of those years. The time was finally upon them all. And they had all failed. No one could stop the return of the Sith. The fate of the galaxy had already been determined long ago. The Sith would rein supreme once again, unchallenged by the light that had infested the galaxy for so long. </p><p>No more. The light was fading, and soon there would be none left that resided in those few survivors. To rebel would be pointless. To fight would be death. Darkness would prevail for years to come, unchallenged by those few souls. And later, when the master finally took control of the galaxy once and for all, there would be peace. All it would take was a young man to succumb to his darkest thoughts and become the dark lord he was prophesied to be. </p><p>That future was coming, and it was only a matter of time. </p><p>          ---</p><p>In this office in the senate building, staring down at the city lit up under the afternoon light, Darth Sideous knew that future to be true. it was only a matter of time till the Jedi order would fall, and his new, dark apprentice would be by his side. Nothing could stop it. He had been planning this future for the years, confident that every action was perfect to guarantee its success. </p><p>The dark lord sighed, and turned away from the blinding light. He had always thrived in darkness, and he hated when he was reminded that he wasn't at any given time. Soon, that wouldn't be the case. Soon, the galaxy would fall, and he would be in control. But Sideous had to bide his time for a while longer. Skywalker was not ready yet, and all of his plans were not finished. He frowned in frustration as he remembered the boy's last encounter with his own apprentice, Count Dooku. He needed more time to put his plans in motion, and for Skywalker to fall deeper into his trap. </p><p>Reaching out, the force swirling around him, he felt his future apprentices essence, which was slowly becoming darker as the war dragged on. When first planning to take over the galaxy, which was no easy feat, the dark lord had needed a way to destroy the Jedi from within. From their actions, from themselves. And what better way than to force them into a war where they fought for peace? A great illusion that the order followed blindly, even to this day. Every person in the galaxy had a weakness that could be used against them. For the Jedi order, it was their own code. For his former master, it had been the lust for more power. And for Skywalker, it was many things. </p><p>The boy had fallen directly into his trap long ago, his feelings the cause of it all. Sideous had been patient for many years, biding his time until he could emerge victorious. But not yet. There was still much to do before peace could be restored. </p><p>And so the Chancellor of the Grand Republic, Sheev Palpatine, sat down at his lavish desk and continued to put his plans in motion, a sinister smirk playing on his features. And for just a moment, his bright eyes, which to the people around him saw, became sinister and dark before they immediately turned to their hidden shade once again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Is this all really necessary?” Anakin grumbled, turning to the Senator sitting next to him. She's as poised as ever, hands folded in one of her elaborate senatorial gowns. Her brow is furrowed, apparently not listening to anything he's been saying. She has been that way most of the morning, instead more focused on the important meeting she would soon attend in the coming hours. </p><p>The Jedi sighed. His wife's always working. It's a wonder that she ever gets enough sleep to even function properly. It's one of the many things he admires about her though, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. </p><p>Duty comes first, especially in wartime. </p><p>He'd told her that line at one point. And it was true. But it still hurt that the moments they could take for themselves didn't seem to be enough. They never will be, especially for him. </p><p>“Padmé?” </p><p>She continued to stay quiet, immersed in thought. He reached out to her and touched her arm to get her attention. In response, the senator jolted in her seat next to him. </p><p>His wife blinked. “Did you say something Ani?”</p><p>Anakin’s eyes softened. “Is everything okay?” he asked, concerned. “Ever since I’ve arrived last night at the apartment, you’ve been distant. Usually you’re happy to see me.” He started to rub one of her shoulders, and she leaned into the touch, quickly relaxing. </p><p>She sighed. “It’s not you,” she said after a few moments of silence between them. “I’m just worried about what I'll be leaving behind. I feel that without my presence in the Senate, things won't happen as they should.” She slumped further into the cushions on the luxurious couch. </p><p>“But isn’t your cousin taking your place while you’re gone? I know you trust her, and she's done it before.” </p><p>Padmé nodded. “Sabé  is great. But it won’t put to rest the feeling that I'll be missing things I should be there for, especially when my allies in the Senate won’t be there as well.” </p><p>Knowing she needed it, Anakin carefully pulled her into his arms, and she leaned into him gratefully. “I have faith, and you should too. The Senate will be just fine,” he murmured. “And besides, it will be for only a bit of time. By the time you come back, it will be as if you never left.”</p><p>She clutched at his Jedi robes. “I know. But I still worry.”</p><p>He chuckled. “I would be afraid if you weren’t. It shows you care, Padmé.” He felt her smile against him, and he held her tighter. “But I have to ask, are you sure—”</p><p>“I’m very sure about this,” she interrupted, her voice like steel. “Without me there, I don’t know what will happen.” </p><p>The comment made him admire her even more, but it still didn't erase the doubts in his mind. “It'll be dangerous Padmé,” Anakin warned. “What if this is just another trap by the Separatists? Force knows they’ve done it before.”</p><p>His wife looked up at him, determination the only thing that he can see in her brown eyes. “It doesn’t matter how dangerous this conference is. I’m doing this for the republic, Ani. This might bring the war to an end. And that's what both sides desperately want, especially all the systems caught up in the fighting.” </p><p>“I know that angel. But it doesn’t excuse the fact the Republic still needs you. I still need you,” Anakin said, his eyes narrowing. “What would happen if you lost your life and nothing would come of this conference? That this would all be for nothing? What would happen then?”  </p><p>“It won’t come to that—"</p><p>“And who will protect you?” he continued. “I didn’t hear anything about your security team guarding you while at the conference.” </p><p>“There will be no security team there to protect me,” Padmé responded, an edge to her tone. “And the separatists won’t have them either. These are peace talks, not about escalating the war further than it already has been by the senate.” </p><p>Anakin flinched and stood up, hands running over his face. Was she insane? He started to pace in front of her, the apartment closing in on him from all sides. “You are not going to that conference,” he growled. What had his wife been thinking? Meeting up with separatist leaders and not having someone there to protect her from harm? He would not let her do that. </p><p>In a matter of moments, Padmé’s face became furious. He stopped his pacing when he noticed her clenched fists. </p><p>“I will do as I please Anakin! You don't need to come here and lecture me about things that I'm already well aware of,” she fumed. “I am doing this, for the good of the Republic.” </p><p>“Not if you get killed in the process!” he yelled. </p><p>“Then it will be for a good cause,” she snapped. He stilled in front of her. And when he didn’t respond, she continued, “Besides, you put your life on the line every time you step on a battlefield, which is quite a lot these days. I know what's at stake. And as my husband, you must trust me in my decisions,” his wife said softly, pushing herself off the sofa and reaching for him. </p><p>He took a step back, his face hard and unyielding. If that was how she was going to be…</p><p>“Then I am coming with you,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared down at her with the face of an army general. </p><p>Most would cower away from the look, but Padmé held her ground. She frowned. “That wouldn’t be possible Anakin. Only servants are allowed, and those who are invited personally by the senators who'll be attending the conference." </p><p>A sudden idea came to his mind, and he smirked. </p><p>She shook her head. “I have an idea about what's going on in that head of yours right now and I don’t think it’s a good one.” </p><p>“Just hear me out,” Anakin pleaded, grasping her small hands in his own. When she didn’t pull away from his touch, he continued. “It could work. You can just explain to them I’ve been your loyal servant for years. It's technically true.” He winked. </p><p>“But your face is famous throughout the galaxy,” she protested. “If they see you, they'll just assume you're there to kill them. And besides,” she added, holding up a hand when he opened his mouth to cut her off, “even if they let you in, many people don’t trust the Jedi. They don’t understand you, and in turn, are suspicious of your motives. It would never work.” </p><p>His grin widened. “They won’t even know I’m there,” he said confidently. “You remember the festival of Naboo a few weeks back?” 

</p>
<p>She nodded hesitantly. </p><p>His former master, Obi Wan Kenobi, faked his own death and went undercover when the Jedi council heard rumors there was a plan in place to kidnap the Chancellor, Sheev Palpatine, at the event. His mentor stopped it before anything bad could happen, but it hurt Anakin when he hadn’t been told of the plan. His trust in his master nowadays is shaky, especially since Obi Wan hasn’t exactly apologized for his actions so far. Neither Jedi brought the subject up anymore, knowing it will end in a fight. </p><p>“I could do what Obi Wan did,” he said. “And the other senators wouldn’t look my way. I could protect you in the worst-case scenario.” </p><p>When he finished, Padmé’s face remained blank, unreadable. She turned away from him and walked to the window, the midday sun coating her like a second skin.  </p><p>Anakin didn’t see another option. And he didn't trust the conference would end in any way but warfare. He always worried when she did something dangerous without him there to protect her. The idea that the Separatists wouldn't have protection does not sit well with him. A conference between two governments who have been at war for years? No, they will have protection. If he were to go with Padmé, she would have the protection she desperately needs. This would put is mind at ease, if only so his wife doesn’t do anything crazy. Or foolish.</p><p>His thoughts pulled him back to that first battle on Geonosis. She had refused to let Obi Wan die and was steadfast in her opinion to save him. In the end though, they barely survived, with him losing a hand due to a Sith lord and her with permanent scars that laced down her back as a reminder.</p><p>In response, he looked down at his mechanical right hand, which was covered in a glove so it would look ordinary to any eye who didn’t know it was there. He'd grown used to it to the point when, if he didn’t think about it, he wouldn’t remember he had lost it in the first place. But eventually, he would always remember. It wasn’t the same as having a hand made of flesh and bone, and he would pay for those mistakes for the rest of his life. </p><p>He just didn’t want history to repeat itself. </p><p>“I think it'll work,” he said after a few minutes of silence between them. “Obi Wan did it, so why can’t I? I just don’t want you to get hurt, not if I can do something about it,” he added softly, loud enough for Padmé to hear him, who was still looking out at the city in front of her. </p><p>She stayed silent, but he can tell from her stiff posture she's considering it. On soft feet, he approached her. His wife kept staring intently out the window, and Anakin followed her gaze. </p><p>The sun coated the buildings as far as the eye could see, almost blinding him. Traffic's thick in the air; the sounds of angry drivers could barely be heard every now and again. He remembered first arriving on the planet at the age of nine, how it took is breath away to see so many people in one place, that there was no sand he could see. </p><p>Now, looking at the city, it dawned on him that the only thing keeping him there was Padmé and his padawan, Ahsoka Tano. He suddenly felt guilty leaving her back at the Jedi temple after they landed early this morning, but he just had to see Padmé again. Anakin didn't know when he'd have the chance before heading off to his next mission assigned by the council. </p><p>They'd been on another scouting mission looking for the very-much alive Darth Maul and his new apprentice, Savage Opress. But, as in the last two times they'd gone out, no trace of their presence has been found. It put Anakin on edge, to know two new Sith are wandering around the galaxy unchecked, but there's nothing he can do about it. This way, instead of focusing on the search that seems to come to be fruitless and a waste of time, he can put his skills to better use. It would distract him from his former masters odd, distant behavior, and get him away from the Jedi council again, at least for a while. He could almost consider it a mini vacation.</p><p>His wife tapped on his shoulder and pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked down at her in anticipation. </p><p>“Okay,” she said finally. “It would be nice if you'd be there with me, and I know you won’t change your mind for wanting to stay here.”</p><p>Anakin’s face broke into a grin and he pulled her into a hug, kissed her cheek. “You won't regret this, I promise you. I will keep you safe Padmé.” </p><p>She smiled back at him. “I will hold you to that."</p><p>“I’m not going to regret this right?” </p><p>“You’re doing this for me, Ani. You never regret anything when it involves this senator.” Padmé pointed at herself for emphasis. </p><p>He chuckled, agreeing with how truthful the statement truly is. “You have me wrapped around your finger, don’t you?”</p><p>“Ever since you said your marriage vows to me on Naboo, Ani,” she said, a wicked smile gracing her mouth. </p><p>Force, with the look she's giving him, he wants to kiss her again. “I have a feeling you had planned on that happening from the very beginning, every since we met on Tatooine.” </p><p>Padmé, aghast, smacked him on the arm. “Are you becoming suspicious of my intentions, General Skywalker? Because it seems you're being paranoid.”</p><p>In response, he leaned down to kiss her, and Padmé groaned in his mouth. After a few moments, he pulled away. “I wouldn’t put anything past you, Senator. I was told at a young age that your kind weren’t to be trusted.”</p><p>His wife raised a groomed eyebrow. “Obi Wan?”</p><p>“He is, apparently, more paranoid than me.”</p><p>“That's such shocking news. Perhaps I should leak this sensitive information to the holonet. I’m sure they'd would have a field day,” she said, sarcasm lacing her voice. “Then we can see your former master’s expression finally change.”</p><p>“A sight that would be," he said, trying not to laugh. "You wicked thing.”</p><p>There's laughter in her warm brown eyes, and they twinkled in the midday sun coming through the windows. It's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. “I always aim to please.”</p><p>He laughed. “Always.” The Jedi thought back to earlier this morning, right after getting into her apartment, and his face soon grew warm under her touch. He pushed those thoughts away so he could dwell on them later.</p><p>“So… how are we going to explain this to the Jedi council?” she asked, worry creeping into her voice. “You know this conference has to remain a secret. Not even the Chancellor knows of this.” </p><p>Anakin’s face scrunched up. “Wait a second, how confidential is this meeting anyway? And how can the Chancellor Palpatine not know of this? He's the leader of the republic.” </p><p>“If the Chancellor knew of the conference, then it wouldn’t even take place. The separatist senators don’t trust Palpatine and were firm in their decision not to involve him,” she explains. “If he were to get involved, I fear the meeting would not happen at all. This war has to end, for that all senators on both sides are in agreement. Only my most trusted allies in the senate will be at the meeting because they believe a treaty between our two governments can be reached peacefully.” </p><p>“I understand that telling the chancellor would jeopardize the conference, but if you don’t let him in on it, it may be harder for your cousin to take your place in the senate,” Anakin said softly, running a hand through his hair. “You know my thoughts on the Chancellor. I just don’t think it's wise not to let him know about this situation. If things don't go well at the conference, you'll need support.” </p><p>Padmé reached up to cup his cheek, and he leaned into her touch. “You and him are close, and I respect that. But it's vital he doesn't know. He'll understand why I have to keep it a secret.”</p><p>It's true, they are close. Anakin thought of the Chancellor as an uncle, someone he can trust with most things. The leader of the republic has faith and cars for him, in a way many people don't, the Jedi council being one of them. Sometimes, a few simple words from the man kept him sane for weeks, fighting for the republic on the front lines on most days.</p><p>But for his wife's safety, the Jedi could keep this one thing from him. He reached up to cover the hand on his cheek and nodded, his eyes conveying his words. Padmé's a politician and knows more about these matters than he does. If she believes this is the right call, Anakin will stand by her. He just hopes she won't get into trouble for such a selfless act. That she will be forgiven by the senate if something were to go wrong. </p><p>Padmé's willing to take this risk, and so would he, even if it would reflect badly in the eyes of the council. Speaking of them…</p><p>He groaned inwardly at the thought of facing them, but it has to be done. “I'll have to meet the Jedi council sometime in the next few hours if we'll be leaving in a week. At least give them some warning before we disappear.” </p><p>She tapped her chin with a slim finger. “You can’t tell them about the conference,” she mused. </p><p>Anakin shook his head. “No, I can’t. I’ll just tell them that I have a personal matter to take care of, and will require a two weeks leave. Though I'm needed a lot in the war, especially now, I think another Jedi could replace me for that period of time anyway. I haven’t taken any time off from the war in a while. This will be good for the high council's sanity of not having to hear from me for a little while.” </p><p>“That seems reasonable,” she agreed. "And now, Knight Skywalker, I require your expertise in helping me prepare a nice lunch for both of us." </p><p>He smiled, giving a dramatic bow. "I would be honored, Senator Amidala." </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>She was running. It was dark, and she's afraid.</p><p>The battle had been a massacre. Everywhere Ahsoka looked, she can see the bodies of the clones who were her friends on so many adventures lying still, their helmets obstructing their blank gazes turned upwards. The sky was bloodred, the same color which leaked onto the ground of the planet she's on.</p><p>Ahsoka supposed it's almost night, by the way the shadows grew bigger from the carcasses as she continued to run, heart beating fast with fear. There's only one thing she's looking for. And she stopped when she finally came in sight of it.</p><p>Her most trusted companions, the people who she considered her family, were dead at her feet. They were haphazardly placed on the ground, as if they didn’t have the respect to be buried properly. Anakin, Rex, Padme, Plo, Obi Wan, Barriss, and everyone else she loved is gone. Giant sobs racked her body as her knees impacted on the field with a dull thud. Ahsoka didn’t register the pain which went up her legs and continued to cry. She reached for her masters dead body, lighter than the Jedi had expected it to be when she placed his limp head in her lap.</p><p>His eyes were closed and there was a giant hole in his chest, courtesy of a lightsaber. Who could have done this? Tears continued to trail along her cheeks, her despair the only sound that could be heard on that battlefield.</p><p>Ahsoka should've been there to protect them. But she wasn’t, and now they were all dead.</p><p>This was all her fault.</p><p>She felt distant, broken by the sight around her. Blood started to leak onto her from her master’s body, but she didn’t care.</p><p>She didn’t care. Maybe Ahsoka can join them. They were the only tether to her life. What if she were to let go? The padawan shook her head to clear the thought. Ahsoka could fix this, she had too. Or what would be the point of living?</p><p>Absently, she brushed the dark hair from her master’s forehead and rested her fingers on his temples. Ahsoka reached deep into the force, let it fill her body with every till she was brimming with it. She felt his presence, but there's nothing alive, only what had been. His death was recent, for the force still clung to his body, and it was whispering to her, the same line over and over.</p><p><em>He's still here</em>, the force whispered. <em>Save the Chosen One</em>.</p><p>Ahsoka would, she had too. using her connection to the presence swirling around her, she gathered it inside herself, a storm barely in her control. And with a cry that shook the world, she slammed the pure energy into him, praying that it would be enough to bring him back. That she would be enough.</p><p>Her master's body jolted in her lap. And there…through her bond with him, she can detect a small glimmer of life. The Jedi pulled on it with everything that she had, using every last drop of energy in her body. Slowly, her master came back, and a moment later, could feel him let out a small breath of air.</p><p>She slumped backward; her body drained from the experience. But immediately came to attention when Ahsoka saw her master’s chest rise and fall with life again.   </p><p>“Master? Can you hear me?” she said to him, cradling Anakin in her weak arms.     </p><p>She checked his force presence again and realized that she had indeed brought him back. But there was something different about him, a darkness that had not been there before. Of course, she had felt him reach for the dark many times before, but he had always come back. Now, as she surveyed his presence in the force through her bond, the padawan didn’t recognize her master in the slightest. There was no light to be found, no warmth that was her master. Instead, his presence was dark, cold. Angry, filled to the brim with untamed hatred.     </p><p>Instinctively, she recoiled from him, pushing him off her lap. Ahsoka wanted as far away as possible from that darkness, which was the polar opposite to the light inside her.        </p><p>The force said he could be saved, but there was nothing. Nothing she could do for him. She sobbed again, putting her arms around herself. All hope is lost.        </p><p><em>Child, there is still hope</em>, the force murmured around her, filling her with warmth.         </p><p>Realizing that she was cold, Ahsoka started to shiver, and wrapped her arms tighter around herself. What the force was saying couldn’t be true. There's nothing left. Everything she previously loved is gone, so how can she hope when the light was dimming inside of her as well?     </p><p><em> Don’t lose hope, for it is the only thing that can restore what has been lost.</em>      </p><p>“I can’t hope when I have none,” she whispered to it, wiping away the tears that flowed down her cheeks.       </p><p>Suddenly, her master beside her jolted again, and his breaths came faster and faster. She sucked in a breath and reached for him again. The force was right, she could not abandon him. And she never would.      </p><p>“Master?” Anakin’s forehead creased, and his eyes snapped open.         </p><p>She gasped. Instead of the desert blue that she had come to love, amber eyes stared back at her without any compassion or warmth in them.       </p><p>“Save them!” his voice was desperate, and it broke her heart all over again.     </p><p>“Master, I can’t—”      </p><p>“You can Ahsoka,” he said softly to her, eyes hard and unyielding. “You have a power that you don’t fully realize yet. Trust your heart, and it will show you the way.”  </p><p>He started coughing, the sound almost inhuman, reminding her of a breathing machine, and more tears slipped down her cheeks. “I’m not strong enough Anakin,” she whimpered, resting a hand on his chest. “I can’t do this without you.”       </p><p>A small smile graced his mouth, so at odds with those Sith eyes. “Don’t doubt yourself,” he said, “And trust your heart. It will guide you. Things are not always as they appear to be.” And with that, his amber eyes became dull, and his body went limp once again, face turned upwards toward the red sky.        </p><p>Ahsoka screamed. “No, no, no, no—" she yelled at the sky, at the world as it crumbled around her. She yanked at her bond with him, desperately trying to bring him back, but it was of no use. He was gone, and a large piece of her went with him. “Bring him back!” she whaled, the sound echoing over the battlefield. “I will do anything,” she whispered, tears clouding her vision and falling onto her masters body below her. “Anything.” The darkness of the planet closed in around her, and Ahsoka let it. She closed her eyes, ready for the end.       </p><p>It never came. Instead, she saw white appear behind her eyelids. Ahsoka promptly snapped them open again, and they went wide. The battlefield was gone, instead replaced by the image of the Daughter in front of her. The goddess was exactly as how Ahsoka remembered her to be back on Mortis.</p><p>Mortis. the former home of the Daughter, the Son, and the Father. Such powerful force users, capable of tearing the galaxy apart. the daughter, she remembered, is the embodiment of the light, while her opposite is her brother, the Son, the embodiment of darkness. And the Father exists to keep the balance, as the galaxy should be. She didn't think back on her time in each of their presences, for they held memories she still did not want to face. The Son had taken her life, turned her into someone dark and cruel, while the Daughter brought her back, using the last of her life to do it. Ahsoka had <em>died. T</em>hough she didn't remember her time with the son, she thought back to the pain she experienced when the Son simply took away her will to live, and just like that, she was blown out like a candle in the night, leaving nothing but darkness. </p><p>She shuddered. noticing the daughter in front of her, waiting patiently, Ahsoka wearily made her way toward the woman. Feeling the crystals in her weapons on her hips, she clung to them like a lifeline, her knuckles turning white from her grip. as she came closer, the jedi noticed her body seemed to be glowing from within, her long green hair falling around her beautiful face. It almost looked like she's floating. </p><p>“You're supposed to be dead,” she said flatly, bracing her hands on her hips. "You died on Mortis."</p><p>The Goddess laughed. “I cannot die, though the form which tied me to your world is gone,” she said, as if the answer were simple, her voice echoing around them both.                   </p><p>“But I saw you on Mortis,” Ahsoka sputtered. “You gave your life to save mine!”  her mind flashed to the image of the daughters lifeless corpse beside her, devoid of the life that filled her before.   </p><p>The Daughter cocked her head. She seemed rather curious over Ahsoka’s comment. “I cannot be killed, only reborn.”     </p><p>Ahsoka’s fists clenched. “If you want to keep playing games woman, go ahead. But it's time that I got some answers.” Her eyes narrowed, impatience putting her on edge. “What did I just see on that battlefield?” she spit, gesturing to the blood that still covered her clothing. Feeling the tears that were still in her cheeks, she brushed them away hurriedly.          </p><p>“A vision. A warning.” The mysterious woman stepped towards her and Ahsoka flinched away. The Daughter retracted her hands, a look of hurt appearing on her face before it disappeared. “The galaxy is unbalanced, young one. Can you feel it?”        </p><p>The Jedi nodded. “Yes, I have.” She thought back to all the times she reached into the force, how the darkness seemed to be taking over the light. It had started when the war began, and hasn’t been the same since. “But I don’t know what is causing it.” She tapped her chin in thought. “Do you know what it is?”    </p><p>“Yes,” the Goddess said. “I do. But it is information that you are not ready for. You will learn the truth soon enough.”    </p><p>Ahsoka pointed a threatening finger at her. “There is no time! My friends, my <em>family</em>,” she said, voice cracking at the word, “will die if I don’t do something to stop it! I need to know the truth so that future doesn’t happen!”       </p><p>“Calm down, young one. You must control yourself. A future is simply that-a future." Her voice was sincere.       </p><p>The Jedi sighed, shifting her feet. “The force keeps telling me to trust my heart and have hope. But how can I have those things if I am not prepared for what is coming?” The scene on the battlefield flashed before her eyes, and she remembered Anakin’s limp body in her arms. She shuddered again.           </p><p>The Daughter placed a hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder. It was almost comforting. “The force is right,” she said softly. “And I know it's difficult, but you most trust my words, and well as those of the force. They will not steer you wrong.”        </p><p>Fear gripped Ahsoka’s heart. “I’m not powerful enough to stop whatever it is that's happening,” she cried, lowering her head. “I can’t be what you want me to be.”     </p><p>“You are, Ahsoka. Why do you think that I came to you for help? I trust that you'll find your way through this.” The Daughter squeezed the Jedi’s shoulder in emphasis. “Now you must go. The future is undecided, and there is too much at stake. Something is coming, an event I hope you stop in time.”</p><p>Her eyes widened. “You can’t leave me!” she said, desperate. “I still need answers!”        </p><p>The goddess’s form started to fade. “You have everything you need. I'll be watching over you, I promise. Ahsoka, I never left.” And with those last words, she disappeared.</p><p> </p><hr/><p>      </p><p>“No!” Ahsoka yelled, sitting up fast, and yelped when she banged her head on her bunk. The padawan lay back down on her small bed, breathing fast. Already, she can feel a headache coming on and she groaned.        </p><p>She lay there, dazed, heart beating in her chest. That had not been a normal dream. It had been a vision, one that was too important not to remember.      </p><p>“Anakin!” she gasped, and flung her body off the bunk when she remembered those sith eyes instead of blue ones. Ahsoka ran out of her small room and down the hall of their shared apartment before hurling herself against his door, which opened with a small hiss, almost tripping over her own legs. Her breaths was coming in short gasps as she looked around.      </p><p>Midday sun pored through the blinds, illuminating the various mechanical parts strewn throughout the space. Glancing at the bed, she noticed that it had not been slept on, the sheets pristine and orderly, out of place from the mess around it. And he was not there.     </p><p>Alarm flashed through her. Where could he be? She knew that they had arrived late early this morning from another search mission and after getting to the apartment, she had collapsed on the bed and passed out. But Anakin had been with her.          </p><p>He must be doing some business, she thought, trying to calm herself. Wanting to get her bearings, Ahsoka closed her eyes and reached deep into the force, barely noticing its darker essence, and speared her consciousness away from her body. After a few moments of searching, she came to the conclusion that he wasn’t in the temple, but was still on Coruscant. She retracted herself, breathing a sigh of relief. Though she didn’t look any farther than the temple, she had a vague idea about where he was and smiled slightly.</p><p>Her master was many things, but being subtle wasn't one of them, especially when she knew him so well.         </p><p>Noting the hunger that clenched her stomach, she turned away from the mess in her masters room and closed the door.        </p><p>Ahsoka’s head was aching by the time she had washed up, clipped her two light sabers to her belt, and left the apartment. Before leaving, she had taken pain medicine, but it wasn’t helping very much. It would sink in soon, then her throbbing head would be more bearable.   </p><p>She sighed, rubbing her aching head as she navigated the maze that was the Jedi temple. How did she get into situations such as these? The daughter, as well as the force, had given her a warning, one that if not taken lightly, could bring darkness on the galaxy. Deep down, Ahsoka had the feeling that they had made the wrong choice. She wasn’t powerful, and only a padawan that still needed years of training. But they had come to her, so now she had to deal with it on top of her many list of growing worries.        </p><p>After a few minutes of walking, she came to the Jedi mess hall, which was relatively empty besides a few younglings and older Jedi. Because of the war, the most able-bodied of them had been sent all over the galaxy, commanding clone armies and fighting wars. And there were less of them every day, the orders ranks not as they used to be.  </p><p>It made the padawan afraid of what could happen without those extra Jedi. From the start of the war, something in her has been unsettled. As the daughter had reminded her, darkness was growing, and from where, she didn’t know. She was fearful of what the future held, what their fates would be based on the vision that had been shared with her.        </p><p>Ahsoka couldn’t stop replaying the sight on the battlefield over and over in her mind, wondering if there was something that she had missed. But the sight of her master's eyes always came back to her. She knew that her master battled with the darkness inside him. Sometimes she sensed it through their bond, but didn’t utter a word to him about his feelings. It wasn’t her place to judge him at his worst. She trusted him to handle himself, but she was concerned about what the future repercussions of those emotions would be.    </p><p>Like her, Anakin had always let his heart guide him more than his mind, causing the Jedi council to distrust him. She remembered when Cad Bane had taken her, and she could feel her masters fear when the bounty hunter was threatening her through their bond. Their relationship was precious to both of them, and realizing this, Bane had used it against them. In a desperate act, her master had unlocked the Jedi holocron and the bounty hunter had escaped.        </p><p>Most masters would’ve taken the Jedi holocron to protect the precious information inside, but Anakin had sacrificed that to save her, even when she told him not to. The act showed how deep their connection went, not just in their force bond. Though the Jedi would say that weren’t the case, she thought of Anakin as an older brother, someone she looked up to in so many things. And he probably thought of her the same way, she mused.       </p><p>The Jedi council would consider that dangerous, for attachments weren’t the Jedi way. But to Ahsoka, they made her stronger, as well as her master.   </p><p>And Ahsoka was fine with that. The force had told the padawan to trust her heart, and that was what she was going to do, even if those on the Jedi council looked down at her for it.</p><p>Her stomach growled as she walked over to the other side of the mess and grabbed a lunch portion that contained all meat from one of the head cooks, giving the man a nod of thanks before taking a seat at an empty table in the corner.       </p><p>Ahsoka hadn’t realized how famished she really was until she took a few bites of her food. Casting her manners aside, she dug into the rest, not caring what the rest of the Jedi thought of her.  </p><p>The drain of being in that vision had left her weaker than she had previously imagined. She felt exhausted, even though she slept for a good couple of hours before having the bizarre dream. By the time she was finished with her food, she felt much better, and her head wasn’t pounding as it had been before.   </p><p>From behind her, she picked up the sound of a low whistle with her montrals, and she twisted in her seat to find Barriss Offee looking down at her, a small smile on her face.     </p><p>Ahsoka grinned back at her, and gestured to the empty seat across the table with a free hand. The other girl obliged, and took it, sighing as she did so. Then she noticed the empty plate in front of her friend. “Wow Ahsoka, I forgot that you had such a big appetite,” she teased, setting down her own tray of food on the table.        </p><p>Ahsoka smirked. “Well, we Togrutas need all the strength we can get.” She flashed her sharp, pointed teeth. </p><p>Barriss laughed at the display. “Is it from dealing with your master? I know he can sometimes be a handful.” Ahsoka couldn’t help but agree. Her master and Barriss had officially met at the second battle of Geonosis, and Anakin had been rather arrogant and reckless that day.     </p><p>"He is a nuisance," she said finally, "But still my master. And to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way." She winked. "He does make life more interesting; wouldn't you say?"     </p><p>“Quite,” Barriss replied, picking at her plate of food with her fork. “But I do worry about you Ahsoka,” she said, sighing and eyeing her friend warily. “He isn’t a traditional Jedi, and neither are you. The Jedi council notices these things.”     </p><p>Ahsoka shrugged. “To be honest, I think they should be more focused on their own code than the actions of two Jedi.”        </p><p>“That is a dangerous thing to say, my friend,” Barriss warned, her tone crisp. “You shouldn’t speak this way, especially here.”          </p><p>Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. She knew that Barriss was a traditional Jedi who strives to be the perfect example due to her upbringing. Barriss’s master, Luminara, was very strict with the code, but a great general. Though on many unspoken things, they did not see eye to eye. Now, as she stared down her friend, she wondered how many of those teachings stuck with Barriss. Or if she had different opinions that she would not share in public for fear of the repercussions from the Jedi council.       </p><p>“Barriss, you know that I can handle myself. It’s you I’m worried about.”       </p><p>Indeed, there were dark circles under the padawan's eyes, and her appearance, usually always pristine, was hardly put together. Most of her head was covered by the fabric that she usually wore, but the dark hair that Ahsoka could see was limp. Her clothes were different than what Ahsoka usually saw on her friend. She wore a simple, dark tunic, undershirt, and leggings than her traditional attire of her race. And lastly, her eyes. They were darker somehow, less bright than what she usually glimpsed in their depths.     </p><p>Barriss waved away the comment "I'm fine Ahsoka. I just haven't been sleeping that well, that's all." She braced her arms on the table. "Do you ever wonder what the world would've looked like if the Jedi weren't apart of this war?" she asked suddenly, so out of the blue that it took the other padawan by surprise.       </p><p>The Padawan shook her head. "No, not really. I mean, sometimes I notice the differences of what the clone war has done to the Jedi order, but nothing too big." She looked into her friends eyes, which were distant and clouded. Concern grew for her friend. Ahsoka doubted her friend was telling her the truth about her well-being. “But I’m not really the ideal person to talk to about these matters. What I’m worried about how it is affecting you.”     </p><p>The other padawan sighed across the table. “I just keep seeing them, the battles and the carnage, even in my sleep. And it won’t go away. Whenever I heal, the memories stay with me, and I can’t seem to get rid of them.” Barriss’s fists clenched. “I just want this bloody war to end,” she snapped.      </p><p>Ahsoka was shocked. Her friend had a calm personality, one of the few that weren’t shaken by many things. And here, before her, she saw a completely different person. It made her wonder how deep those scars really went, and if they could be healed inside her friend.       </p><p>She reached out and squeezed Barriss’s hand, and the other girl relaxed somewhat. “I think you just need to step away from the war for a while. You need to heal yourself before you can heal others.</p><p>Hurt flashed across Barriss’s face, but quickly disappeared. “That’s what I’ve been doing for the past week, but the war keeps coming back to me. Every time I try to think of something else or reach for the force, I can still hear them. All of those voices in the galaxy that are dying. And I know that I can’t help them.” She pauses for a moment as if to collect herself, then continues. “As a Jedi, isn’t it our duty to help those people? To keep the peace?”        </p><p>Ahsoka just squeezed her friends’ hand tighter, understanding dawning on her. “We help who we can,” she says quietly, “but in the end, we can’t save them all, no matter how much we want to. There have been so many times where I watched and did nothing while innocents or my men were killed in front me.” She didn’t talk about the image of the battlefield from her vision that came to the forefront of her mind. “And sometimes I can still hear them. But you have to focus on the present, not the past, or else it will consume you.”      </p><p>Her words seem to ring true, for Barriss stood up a bit straighter in her seat. “Thank you Ahsoka,” she said, a small spark of light returning to her blue eyes. “I’m glad that I have you to keep me on the right path.”      </p><p>Ahsoka gave her a small, sad smile. “What are friends for Barriss?” An idea came to her mind. “Hey, I was thinking, would you want to go with me down to the shopping centers in the city after this? I need a new outfit and was wondering if you wanted to join me. You clearly have better fashion sense than I do.</p><p>“It would get me out of the temple for a while,” her friend mused out loud. A small smirk lit up her face. “I would be honored to go with you,” she said after a few moments of consideration. Relief washed through Ahsoka knowing her Barriss needed this. In fact, they both needed a good distraction.         </p><p>They sat at the table for next half hour, sharing different stories about the war, or small pieces of gossip that the younglings were chatting about that day. The conversation was lighthearted, and did not go deeper than it had earlier, which they were both fine with.       </p><p>Eventually, they left the mess hall and journeyed out of the temple, their cloaks making them indistinguishable from the people around them. the pair of padawans took one of the speeders and Barriss had let Ahsoka drive, much to her amusement.       </p><p>Every few seconds, Barriss would suck in a deep breath as Ahsoka narrowly avoided crashing into another vehicle, or squeeze the seat with all her strength, knuckles white. It made Ahsoka laugh, the sound dancing in the air between them. and Barriss would smile back.          </p><p>“I’m surprised that you have a license to drive,” Barriss said to her when they were close to their destination.          </p><p>Ahsoka just shrugged, turning the speeder to go a sharp right, totally calm and collected unlike her friend. “Actually, I don’t have one.”          </p><p>Barriss’s eyes went wide in terror. “I’m surprised we haven’t died yet,” she said bluntly.    </p><p>The other padawan frowned when another speeder behind her honked at her driving methods. “My master is Anakin Skywalker. I would think that some things would rub off on me enough to where I don’t need such frivolous things.” She was also a good pilot in the many battles she fought in. she came to the conclusion that flying a speeder was easier than a starfighter.     </p><p>“It is still important!”       </p><p>Ahsoka rolled her eyes at her friends frantic behavior. “I would think you would be used to this kind of behavior by now!” she yelled over the wind. Throughout the war, hard landings or insane flying was normal for the jedi.       </p><p>Barriss’s grip tightened on her seat. “My stomach would say otherwise,” she said. Looking sideways at her, Ahsoka noticed that her friend did look a bit sick.    </p><p>She swallowed the laugh rising in her chest. “It’s funny because Anakin was the one who taught me how to drive one of these things.”     </p><p>“Apparently, he did not do a very good job of it because you seem to want to kill us at every possible turn!” This time, Ahsoka couldn’t hold in her laugh. Her friend shot her a glare. "It is not funny," she snarled.         </p><p>Ahsoka held up her hands in innocence. “I couldn’t help it Barriss! I’m sorry, but your face is absolutely priceless at the moment.”        </p><p>“Put your kriffing hands back on the wheel!” her friend screamed in alarm when the speeder started to go sideways. Ahsoka promptly did as she asked, getting the vehicle back into the lane.      </p><p>“Okay, maybe I shouldn’t be driving the speeder,” she admitted, shooting her friend a look of apology.        </p><p>Barriss slumped in her seat. “That is a very good idea. I would prefer to die somewhere else other than in a speeder on Coruscant due to my friend’s inability to drive such a simple machine,” she grumbled.       </p><p>Ahsoka mocked hurt. “I would be honored to die such a legendary death!”      </p><p>“Just get us to the shopping area alive and I won’t stay mad at you,” her friend said, crossing her arms over her slim chest. “You can make it up to me by buying me a new outfit as well.”       </p><p>“Deal. I think you deserve it anyway.” Ahsoka said sincerely when she noticed her friend still looked ill from her driving.      </p><p>A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination, and Ahsoka promptly parked the speeder against one of the walkways.      </p><p>“I like you Ahsoka, but I am never doing that again,” Barriss said, practically jumping out of the vehicle to get away from it. The togruta assumed that her friend thought it would blow up if she stayed in it any longer. “When we head back to the temple, I’m driving,” she stated.    </p><p>“I think that’s fair,” Ahsoka replied, still smiling. She did feel guilty from the whole ordeal, but it had been fun. She surveyed the area, clothing shops lining the street to the right. “Where should we go first?”    </p><p>Barriss pointed to the left. “I saw an interesting store down that way while almost throwing my guts up over the side of the speeder. I think I want to go there first.”   </p><p>“Lead the way."         </p><p>The next two hours passed by rather quickly. Ahsoka hadn’t realized how much she had needed to be with someone her own age. Though she had the 501st and her master, it wasn’t the same as female company. War and being Jedi kept both girls from living normal lives as actual teenagers. For the first time in a while, Ahsoka forgot about the war, and the responsibilities on her shoulders. During the trip, she wasn’t Commander Tano of the 501st, but just Ahsoka. She cherished every moment of it.          </p><p>Barriss seemed to as well. She was lighter than she had been that morning, and it made Ahsoka glad that she could raise her friends' spirits, at least for an afternoon.        </p><p>Ahsoka's commlink went off on her wrist when they were heading back to where she parked the speeder earlier, Barriss chatting about the gossip she had heard from various padawans in the last week. Master Gallia had been killed on Florrum by Darth Maul and his apprentice, Savage Opress. And Master Kenobi had barely made it out alive. She was to report back to the jedi temple immediately.   </p><p>And with a simple call, Ahsoka was a commander once again.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The force was strong that day. It swirled around the jedi master, bringing him the comfort he sorely lacked. He fell deeper into its embrace, trusting that the force would show him the way forward. But the path ahead was dark, with no end in sight.</p><p>Ever since the start of the clone wars, the dark side of the force has increased in strength, drenching the bright essence in its misery and ideals.</p><p>Obi Wan did not doubt that he would never succumb to such darkness and hate… but it was just that, a promise. There was no guarantee that a jedi master such as him would not fall. But he would not fear it. The jedi sunk deeper into the force, letting the presence fill him with its peace and comfort, easing away his pain and exhaustion.</p><p>The master should be sleeping at the moment, knowing what awaited him on Coruscant soon, but he had been too bothered by the feelings and memories in his mind and soul to continue trying. He’d tossed and turned in his quarters for the better part of an hour before giving up and meditating instead.</p><p>He breathed in deep and allowed the inner turmoil to slip away from him, bit by painful bit. However, some pieces remained rooted inside of him, no matter how hard the jedi master tried to push them into the force.</p><p>That morning had been an experience Obi Wan would never forget. His mind flashed to his fellow jedi being killed in front of him as he had watched, helpless to stop the sight of the blood red lightsaber of his enemy run through such a gifted individual. A friend.</p><p>Desperately, he tried to rid his mind of the scene, hoping to balance himself once more. But the memories kept coming back.</p><p>Obi Wan felt his own fear when first laying eyes on his former masters killer, the pain he himself had experienced as innocents were killed in the jedi’s name, all because of a battle that happened so long ago on a beautiful planet. Of the guilt that plagued him every time he failed to bring the dark lord to justice, time and again.</p><p>For years, he had been at peace, steadily nurturing his ideals in the way of the jedi order, achieving his lifelong mission of continuing to bring peace to the galaxy. He realized that false sense of security had been an illusion when he’d faced Darth Maul again.</p><p>He remembered taking on the dark lord alone, his master dying a few feet away on the metal floor, as cold as the one beneath him in his quarters. The jedi had been deeply submersed in the force, letting the presence guide him to deflect the various, powerful attacks by the blood-red lightsaber that hasn’t been seen in over a thousand years.</p><p>The moment when Obi Wan saw the two halves of that monster falling down into the dark, he felt good. The jedi knew he had made Qui Gon proud in his final moments before surrendering to the will of the force.</p><p>He would never forget the look on his mentors face as he died in Obi Wan’s arms, full of regret. Remembered feeling a wave of love from the jedi through their bond before it snapped in two. Against his better judgement, he had pledged to look after such a gifted individual that just might change the fate of the galaxy as a whole. A new stage of his life began, without his master, but with a small, blue eyed boy that looked up to him.</p><p>He’d been uncertain of that decision at first, knowing he would never have made it himself. But his master had willed it, made him promise to train Anakin. And Obi Wan stuck by his promises, his honor and duty, to the person who he thought of as a father.</p><p>The darkness that had surfaced in the force during the time of the battle on Naboo disappeared, and Obi Wan moved on, found some semblance of peace, honoring the memory of his former master by raising his new padawan, even though both actions hadn’t been easy.</p><p>Seeing the Sith with his own eyes weeks ago had teared up what he had tried to fix inside of himself, releasing the emotions that he had kept locked away for so many years. It was an overflow in his mind, and it made him as unbalanced as the year after Qui Gon was killed. The darkness around him was closing in, and Obi Wan didn’t know how to face what was inside of himself either. He was lost and didn’t bother to deny the thought.</p><p>After being unable to find the peace through sleep, Obi Wan turned to meditation, but neither were fruitful. Both just made him remember his past as well as present, and he didn’t feel that he was ready to face them yet. They threatened to overwhelm the jedi master, drowning him in darkness.</p><p>The pieces of turmoil inside of him were more cumbersome than he had previously imagined. And the scars of his past had never truly healed.</p><p>The jedi shifted slightly on the cold metal floor of his quarters, suddenly uncomfortable. When had he become such a mess?</p><p>He sucked in a deep breath and immersed himself deeper until he could not feel the cold seeping into his legs. Until he could solely feel the light surrounding him and he basked in it as if he were starved of the essence. For years, the force gave him the comfort and guidance that he needed to move forward, to continue to survive. And yet… when he felt the force swirl around him, he felt lost.</p><p><br/>
The light had always comforted him in the past, taking away all of his darker emotions and thoughts till they were nothing but distant memory…. but was any of that darkness truly gone? Had that just been an illusion for so many years after failing to kill the Sith?</p><p><br/>
He’d known enough to follow what the force whispered to him in his dreams or on the battlefield, saving him countless times, and Obi Wan followed it blindly. It helped him on that day so many years ago against the Sith, guiding him in every move with less effort. Guided him to cut the black and red tattooed phantom menace in half with his mentor’s lightsaber. And watched as the two parts disappeared, never to be seen again.</p><p><br/>
And yet, just a couple of weeks ago, he had come face-to-face with his old enemy, a Sith that cared only for his demise.</p><p><br/>
The Clone Wars soon raged across the galaxy, covering everything in darkness enough to the point where he could not detect the new threat, not until it was too late. Innocents had died because of him, and he feared that his guilt would never let him sleep well again.</p><p>They now encompassed his mind in a firm grip, unwilling to let go of what the morning had held. The battle had not been easy, for Darth Maul had gotten a new apprentice, the also mysterious Savage Opress. If it hadn’t been for a gang of Weequay pirates, everything would have turned out very differently.</p><p>Searching for Darth Maul with the help of the Tholothian Jedi Master Adi Gallia, he had been looking around one of the outer rim planets when they received a distress signal from a space station orbiting over Cybloc. The two immediately headed for the station and had been told of a raid had occurred inside by two mysterious Dathomirians with lightsabers and glowing amber eyes.</p><p>Obi Wan soon came to the conclusion that checking Florrum, the desert planet located near the station, would be the wisest course of action. He had had many experiences with the pirate gang in the past, and figured that there would be no harm in checking the place out. Little did he know that the two Sith were trying to recruit the pirates on the surface with the credits that they had just taken from the station, trying to gain more people to their cause, knowing that wealth was a pirate’s true weakness.</p><p><br/>
Many of the pirates turned against their own leader, and joined forces with the Sith to secure what they had been promised, oblivious to the true intentions of the two dark lords. the pirate gang split in two, and a battle raged on the desert surface of the planet to take control of the assets of the pirate lord, Hondo Ohnaka. Soon after landing on the planet, the two jedi fought against the Sith.</p><p><br/>
During the fight, Obi Wan remembered feeling a warning in the force before it screamed in his mind, and he felt his fellow jedi die a few feet away, her presence winking out like blowing out a single candle. Instead of succumbing to his guilt and pain, Obi Wan barely evaded the attacks by both the master and apprentice, and fled the scene, grabbing Gallia’s lightsaber before meeting up with the rest of the pirates.</p><p><br/>
The tides turned when he faced both of the Sith again in the compound hollowed into the desert mountain that housed the pirate gang soon after. Using both Gallia’s and his own lightsaber, he had fended off the attacks by the Sith, and injured the apprentice in the process by cutting off his arm. During the fight, he had kept himself calm, and let the force show him what to do, ignoring the emotions that were slowly making their way to the surface of his mind, which he kept pushing away. Obi Wan stayed focused on the task, trying to do what he could not do before all those years ago. The Sith were ruthless in their attacks, but he eventually gained the upper hand. Knowing that trying to sway the pirates to their cause had failed, Darth Maul and Savage Opress escaped and made it to their ship.</p><p><br/>
Obi Wan watched, robes tattered and covered with dirt and blood as the ship that the two Sith were trying to escape in blew up above the desert planet, courtesy of a shot fired from one of the pirates. At that moment, the jedi should’ve felt proud for what he had just accomplished, taking on two Sith by himself without any backup. But all he felt was pain and loss. He kept hold of the force, letting it give him strength, refusing to let it go, to keep moving.</p><p><br/>
Later, the pirates searched the wreckage but could not find the bodies. Exhausted from the fight, he barely had any energy to call for his battalion of clones, the 212th, to pick him up from the planet. He didn’t even have the strength to ponder more about the fate of the two Sith, which should’ve been his main concern. In that moment, all he wanted to do was collapse.</p><p><br/>
After getting transported back to his ship, the <em>Negotiator</em>, he'd immediately made his way to his quarters, ignoring the looks the clones were giving him as he passed, taking in his appearance. The blood of Sith and pirates, of a friend and fellow jedi. while traversing the halls, they closed in around him, suffocating him. All he wanted to do was be alone. He didn’t care to see the pity on their faces, the sadness that matched his own.</p><p><br/>
The looks of the clones, memories, and what soon awaited him on Coruscant overwhelmed him so much that even meditation could not calm his mind like it usually did. He was now restless, though he desperately needed sleep.</p><p><br/>
When was the last time he had actually slept well? Obi Wan could not recall a single time to the forefront of his mind since after clone wars began. He could never have imagined what an impact a war could have on both the spirit and the body. Every day, he felt more drained and tired, but willing to fight another day because that was what he lived for. But what would happen when even that motivation would fade away? How could he continue on when there seemed to be no end to such chaos and destruction in the galaxy?</p><p><br/>
He searched for answers in the force, but the light wouldn’t show him anything, and instead left him to his thoughts, making him feel more frustrated and unbalanced than before he had tapped into it.</p><p><br/>
Realizing continuing to meditate on the cold floor of his quarters was pointless, the jedi withdrew from the force, and picked himself off the floor, body bruised and beaten. Just the action alone made him feel every single of the cuts, burns, and bruises that he had accumulated in the fight that morning and he hissed through clenched teeth.</p><p><br/>
As a general always serving on the front lines, ending up in the med bay on various ships or battlefields was common. He would’ve gone to get his more serious wounds treated, but the thought of being on the receiving end of more pitiful glances made him stay in his quarters. He had lived with more serious injuries without treatment before in the past. What was one more instance?</p><p><br/>
Body aching, the jedi made himself sit at his small desk situated by his bunk, and began to rifle through various reports that needed to be read on his data pad. He supposed that if meditation would not help, than perhaps being useful and doing work would be a better alternative. But soon after picking up the work, he came across summaries of different battles that had happened in the past weeks.</p><p><br/>
As if burned, he threw the device across the room onto his bunk, hoping that it would disappear when he saw a bit of the report he had filed after his mission on Naboo. The relationship between his former padawan and himself has been strained ever since the mission where he had to fake his own death. His mission had been to undercover the plot of a group of bounty hunters trying to kidnap the chancellor at the festival of light, a holiday widely celebrated on the planet. The mission had been successful in the end, and he had foiled any attempts against the chancellor, but in doing so broke the trust between Anakin and himself. Since that day, they have not talked thoroughly about it.</p><p><br/>
Try as he might, Obi Wan could not repair what had been lost, and he was afraid that he never could. The bond he shared with Anakin was precious to him, one of the few things he cherished the most. To think that one mission could fracture something so strong hurt him deeply.</p><p><br/>
For the week afterward, his former apprentice simply ignored him, as they were both unassigned and stuck in the jedi temple. Obi Wan had tried to approach him about the subject, through both the force bond he shared, or knocking on Anakin’s apartment door. But the jedi had locked up both so tight that Obi Wan could not get through. He didn’t push it any longer after many unsuccessful attempts.</p><p><br/>
He realized that Anakin would come to him in time, and they'd talk about it. Except, they never did. Obi Wan found out that Darth Maul was indeed alive, and waiting for him on the planet of Raydonia. The jedi master had decided to go alone to confront Maul, without anyone to back him up. He soon realized the action had been foolhardy, as he was beat up multiple times by the pair of Sith, and could barely fight them off when an unexpected ally came to help him.</p><p><br/>
After the events on the forested planet, he traveled back to Coruscant, injured and weak from his brief time on Darth Maul’s ship.</p><p><br/>
The relationship between Obi Wan and Anakin has grown more strained as the weeks have dragged by, each jedi caught up in organizing search parties and hunting for the two elusive Sith. It would’ve been best to work together, but Obi Wan had asked another, fellow master for help, and the council had obliged, assigning Master Adi Gallia to search with him.</p><p><br/>
In his time searching, he had barely talked to Anakin, and when he did, it was to explain their individual situations and nothing more. Regret filled him every time they spoke. Fed up with the strained communication between himself and Anakin, Obi Wan promised to contact his former padawan after checking out the space station orbiting Cybloc. He held it off once again when the two jedi discovered the Sith on Florrum.</p><p><br/>
Obi Wan didn’t know what Anakin’s reaction would be to everything he had been through in the past few hours, but knew that a conversation would be in order, between both of them. Peering at his datapad that he had thrown on his bed, he noticed that there was still couple of hours to spare before landing on Coruscant.</p><p>He sighed, leaning back in his chair. The worst part about being in constant battle for the past few years was the time spent in hyperspace, with lots of free time to spare. Usually, he spent it by filling out reports, working out in one of the various rooms on the ship with his lightsaber, meditating, sleeping, or being with the clones under his command. But he didn’t want to be in company with anyone, and he was so exhausted that he couldn’t even think about doing anything else that required effort.</p><p><br/>
He rubbed his temples, trying to cure the headache that was now coming on in full force. It was then that he noticed that he was still wearing his robes from that morning, reeking of sweat and earth.</p><p><br/>
Of death.</p><p><br/>
The urge to throw up came to the surface of his mind, memories resurfacing so fast that he could not push them down again. He leaned down farther, clenching his hands around the sides of his worn desk, taking in deep breaths.</p><p><br/>
With every last drop of energy that he possessed in his bruised and battered body, he slowly cleared his mind of the images of two blood-red lightsabers, a pair of Sith eyes full of hatred and malice, the sight of his fellow jedi on the desert floor of a barren planet, eyes open and wide, empty with no soul left that could return.<br/>
He cleared his mind of the looks his former padawan gave him, full of frustration and sadness. The dissatisfaction of the master being less than what he should be in the eyes of his apprentice.</p><p><br/>
Obi Wan sucked in another deep breath, the smell of blood filling his small quarters with the stench. He shuddered, knowing that wherever he went, death seemed to follow him in his wake.</p><p><br/>
To try and get rid of the smell, the jedi shed his outer robes and headed to the small private refresher connected to his quarters. When he stood up, a wave of dizziness watched over him, threatening his knees to buckled underneath him. On instinct alone, he channeled the pain into the force, as he had done so many times in battle, on countless planets in the galaxy. After a few moments, the wave of dizziness was bearable enough to where he could head to the refresher, dumping the shed robes in a corner to be washed later. He barely had any energy to stand, let alone trying to do any other task, including to clean himself up. He was getting ready to head back to his quarters to try to sleep again when the jedi caught his reflection in the small mirror situated by the door.</p><p><br/>
The first thing that Obi Wan noticed was the many cuts and bruises that lined his face, dried blood coating them like smears of red paint. A deep gash was centered on his forehead, courtesy of the debris raining down on him and the two Sith in the caverns of the mountain housing the base of the pirates as war was raged above and around them. During the fight, he vaguely recalled a rock hitting him in the head, and moments after had to wipe away the blood before a lightsaber of the same color descended on him, intending to kill. Looking in the mirror, the gash had made a river of dried blood down the side of his face, coating his dirty complexion like a second skin.</p><p><br/>
Due to him relying heavily on the force to take away the pain in his body, the jedi could not feel the other injuries causing him pain, especially the wound on his forehead, which he surmised was the reason for the headache that had come on only a few minutes ago.</p><p><br/>
Hesitantly, he reached out a hand to touch the wound, and retracted as if burned, hissing from the contact. Apparently, it was much deeper than he thought it was.<br/>
The idea of going to the med bay came to mind, but he pushed the thought away. He didn’t want any of the clones or republic officers fussing over him. He much preferred to be alone and dwell on past events in private rather than in company.</p><p><br/>
The second thing he noticed was the bags under his clouded blue eyes. They were dark and as bruised as the rest of his face, meaning he really should be trying to get some sleep before arriving on Coruscant. What stopped him was the look in his eyes.</p><p><br/>
They were full of misery, guilt, and pain, on display for the rest of the world to see. When had his eyes become so dull and empty, without what he usually glimpsed in their depths?</p><p><br/>
He swallowed back the bile rising in his throat at his reflection, shuddering.</p><p><br/>
He wished the bloody war would just end already. But of course, nothing was that simple. There would be more fighting, more pain, more suffering, until it would come to an end.</p><p><br/>
How many more would die in this war before a solution would arise? How long until there was nothing left to fight for? The thought of the people close to him taken from him was too much to bear on his already heavy shoulders.</p><p><br/>
Being a general of an army was no easy feat, and at times would test his resolve and strength. He knew he would always persevere through troubled times.<br/>
And Obi Wan would get through this. He had to, for the sake of everyone and everything he cared about most.</p><p><br/>
He stood up straighter, leveling a hard look at his reflection. He would find the strength in him to keep fighting, even if it was the last thing he did. The jedi owed to his men, his fellow comrades spread throughout the galaxy… and his brother.</p><p><br/>
It was at that moment that the pain which he had been trying to keep at bay flooded back into him, making him crumple to his knees. He tried to calm himself from the panic that overtook him, struggling to take in the recycled air of his room. Blood starting to leak from his more severe wounds, and the color pooled on the cold metal floor as he fell, shoulder impacting the smooth surface with a sound of finality. Obi Wan cried out in pain, grinding his teeth so much that he drew blood in his mouth.</p><p><br/>
The room spun as he blinked his eyes, trying to stay awake with all of the energy left in him. His eyelids became heavy, and the panic returned in full.<br/>
Due to being so deeply submersed in the force, he could sense a lifeform moving toward his quarters. Familiarity struck him as he picked out the presence of Commander Cody outside his door. The jedi could feel the conflict stirring within the clone, if he should knock and interrupt his general, or let him continue grieving.</p><p><br/>
Obi Wan could feel Cody’s sadness, his pain, his guilt, a reflection of his own, and it broke his heart. Desperate, the jedi reached out toward the clone, trying to ask for help. But he had no energy left. Blood ran down his face from the gash and into his eyes.<br/>
The color made his mind flash to the memory of a lightsaber stabbing a woman through the chest.</p><p><br/>
Who had that person been? She looked so familiar to Obi Wan.</p><p><br/>
Distantly, he heard the soldier knock on his door, asking if he could come in. the jedi opened his mouth to respond, but only a small gasp came out as he submerged further into the darkness of sleep.</p><p><br/>
It would feel so good to just let go, not try any other action that would make his situation more painful than it already was. The jedi grabbed onto the force and pulled on its energy, letting it fuel his call of help toward the clone waiting outside his door. His head pounded, and blood continued to drip in his eyes, distorting his vision. Outside his quarters, he felt Cody recoil, then the clones’ determination as he slammed his clenched fist on the button to unlock the door.</p><p><br/>
The last thing Obi Wan saw was the dusty boots of a soldier from recent battle, and heard the person trying to reach him, pushing on his shoulder. But the jedi was too far gone, and he let the darkness pull him away into its depths.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>In all of his years fighting by his general’s side, Cody thought this was the most outrageous circumstance so far. Just under General Kenobi, which was no easy feat, Cody made sure that the general didn’t act too crazy.</p><p><br/>
And yet… Cody hadn’t thought it would be this bad. He had come to his general’s door to go through some documents about the report that he was supposed to file about the mission, as it is a standard procedure for a commanding officer. But mostly, Cody wanted to check on his friend. Throughout the war, they have become close, putting their lives in each other’s hands more often than not.</p><p><br/>
Commander Cody was bred for one thing: warfare. And he couldn’t imagine fighting with a better general. Except he didn’t realize that jedi all have the same perk: they are way too stubborn for their good. Cody thought that Skywalker was rubbing off on his master for his stupid behavior and arrogance that all jedi seem to possess in their powerful bodies.</p><p><br/>
At times, Cody would have to make sure that Obi Wan still had a life outside of warfare, to give him the actual push to get out of working and let him, the soldier bred for battle, take care of it.</p><p><br/>
They had both seen such terrible things, and have been there for each other, Cody more often with Obi Wan.</p><p><br/>
As a part of the crew to pick up the jedi off world after his brave adventures on the desert planet, the clone got a good look on the status of his general, and it nearly took his breath away. They had been in so many situations with that dead look in their eyes, but it was nothing to what Cody saw in his general’s that morning. Instead of the humor and kindness that always seemed to radiate in his blue eyes, there was absolutely nothing. His face was blank, as if there had been no kindness, no warmth to begin with. Instead, there was only the faintest amount of pain, if Cody looked hard enough.</p><p><br/>
He had lost so many brothers to the damn war that he let his general have the space to sort himself out. On the way back to the negotiator, he caught the subtle looks that the other clones were giving him, eyes pleading to ask what had happened. Cody refrained from the act, and ignored them. The truth would come out eventually. And his general needed some private time.</p><p><br/>
When he lost his brothers, the other clones would respect him enough to give him space, to cope and move on from so many harrowing losses. It was only fair that Cody extended the same courtesy to his general as well.</p><p><br/>
The ship had soon docked on the ship, and on silent feet, the jedi made his way out of the transport and headed toward the part of the cruiser housing his private quarters, without a look back at his men. The action alone made Cody’s face scrunch up in worry, and the other clones had noticed the reflex.</p><p><br/>
To ward off the more prying of the clones, Cody made them take inventory on the lower levels of the ship, and headed off to the control center to organize the men back to their posts, making sure that everything went smoothly. Usually, that was a job for his general, as he was the higher ranking officer, but since the jedi was unfit for such a role that the moment, Cody decided to do it alone, letting the general have his space.</p><p><br/>
For the next hour, Cody took command of the vessel, and ordered the men around as if they were sheep that he was herding. Most of the time, he enjoyed the work, for it distracted him from the world beyond. But because he was inside the ship, all he could do was worry about his general, secluded in his private quarters, grieving and in pain.</p><p><br/>
What exactly had happened on Florrum to warrant such an unexpected reaction?</p><p><br/>
The clones under his command could sense the change in their jedi, as well as him. and they were all curious. He came to the conclusion that the ship Master Kenobi had arrived in did not survive, like all the other ones that seemed to blow up during battle (but that was more Skywalkers area.)</p><p><br/>
And that the jedi who he had been assigned with had met their bitter end on the plasma blade of a lightsaber. Cody got a good look at the body as the traveled back to their ship, noted the hole in the jedi master’s chest. How Kenobi did not even glimpse at the body once before retiring to his quarters.</p><p><br/>
Cody remembered Obi Wan coming back from his fight with the elusive Sith, almost in the same predicament he was before: bruised and battered, broken. Empty, sad, and plagued by guilt.</p><p><br/>
What his general needed was time. But soon after getting the ship into hyperspace, he was looking through his data pad and came across some records that didn’t seem quite right. And there was also the matter of filling out the report of what had happened on Florrum, as per regulation.</p><p><br/>
Only a little bit interested on what had occurred on the planet compared to the rest of his vod, Cody heaved a sigh and gathered his other data pads before leaving the command deck, the other clones staring at him as he passed. They all knew where he was going, and they were as curious as he was to find out more. It wasn’t every day that a jedi master died under such interesting circumstances, or the presentation of their general, who many have been serving for so long, and cared about.</p><p><br/>
The halls were silent as he traversed them, and he mentally checked himself as he came to the door of his general’s private quarters. He immediately cursed under his breath. The jedi was probably sleeping or meditating and it would be better not to disturb him. This had been a stupid plan from the beginning.</p><p><br/>
He had turned to leave when he felt a voice in his mind, probing desperately. On the battlefield, his general sometimes did this to get his attention, if only briefly. And during the war, had actually helped train the clone from being influenced in the mind. But his own mind took in Obi Wan’s presence like his own with familiarity, letting the jedi in instantaneously. The presence of the jedi was only in his mind briefly before he disappeared again altogether.</p><p><br/>
That was never a good sign. With a clenched fist, body and soul filling with determination to understand what was going on, he slammed his hand on the button to unlock the door and stepped into the dimly lit room. He could scarcely make out the sound of labored breathing coming from the attached private refresher off his general’s quarters.</p><p><br/>
Cody started to panic, suspicions growing. This was highly irregular, and out of the ordinary.</p><p><br/>
He then entered the refresher to find his general on the cold metal floor, on the brink of becoming unconscious. Instinct had him immediately fall to his knees and start examining the damage of his friend. Apparently, the wounds that the jedi had received were worse than he had previously thought when studying them. But his robes had also been in the way at the time, and the jedi had been trying to heal himself to the best of his ability with the force. Now that he was unconscious, the wounds had reopened, and were as worse as they were on Florrum.</p><p><br/>
Cody, in desperation, shook the jedi’s shoulder, trying to keep him awake enough to understand the damage that he been caused. But it was too late. Through the blood running down his face, the jedi’s eyes were closed, which meant he had surrendered to the pull of unconsciousness. Cody cursed, a foul word or two in mando’a that could sour milk if given the chance. He activated his wrist comm, requesting another clone to come to his location at once.</p><p><br/>
After the message was sent, the clone grabbed a towel from the storage cabinet, and wiped away the blood steadily creeping down his general’s face. But the wound continued to leak, and he feared if the wound didn’t clot soon, then the injury would definitely leave some permanent mark, with no way that it could ever heal properly. He knew enough about healing to understand different wounds in different situations, and he noticed the wound ran deep enough that it would require some stitching.</p><p><br/>
With all the strength he could muster, the army commander turned the jedi over, looped his arms under Obi Wan, and hauled the unconscious man out the refresher and back into his private quarters.</p><p><br/>
By the force, the jedi was heavier than he looked.</p><p><br/>
The breaths coming from the general could barely be heard from Cody’s position and next to him, and he cursed again. If that clone was not here in the next few minutes… he didn’t want to think about the consequences. Not now.</p><p><br/>
Realizing all the lone clone could do was wait for someone to find the pair in a pool of blood, the least that Cody could do was be helpful to the medic. With practiced hands, Cody checked over the jedi master, inspecting the more severe wounds, frowning as he did so. Cody could see the various cuts and bruises dotting his arms and legs, most of them apparent on his face.</p><p><br/>
Why didn’t his general just report to the med bay immediately? He had been in his quarters for over an hour, and he had never bothered to even take care of himself. The clone supposed that was what happened when grief came into play. Cody had seen the trauma associated with particular battles, and every clone, no matter how alike they looked, grieved in their own way. The jedi, however, were so stubborn, and buried their emotions so deep inside of themselves that even Cody could sometimes not even see them. Due to grief, he’d seen men he respected turn soulless before his eyes, walking corpses in nature.</p><p><br/>
He hoped that that wasn’t going to be the case for his general.</p><p><br/>
The jedi had been through so much already, and he hated to think of what could happen. The future was uncertain for them all. For Cody, war was his life, before he was even born in a facility made to breed an army. This was his fate, one he stepped into gladly, and would continue to do. He believed that he’s made a difference these past few years. But after every battle, every scar, he can visibly see the toll that the war takes on everyone around him, including himself. He wasn’t a fresh cadet out of Kamino, but rather a commander who has seen too much for his own liking, with battle scars that would never heal. Though, along the way, he met some of the best soldiers a brother could have.</p><p><br/>
In response, he looked down at Obi Wan. In the last year, he thought of his general like his brother as well. However, he has never said it outright. He knows that rules of the jedi code, made bitterly aware by Skywalker. Attachments were frowned upon, no matter how deep or shallow they were. Cody could never push that kind of friendship on a person who doesn’t live like that.</p><p><br/>
He supposed that Obi Wan had his own family, no matter how hard he tries to deny it.</p><p><br/>
The blood continued to drip down, pooling around the jedi. Still in his armor, Cody came to the conclusion that he would have to repaint it in the next few days. The blood was staining it. The one thing that a clone could do on the battlefield to individualize himself was to paint his armor. It had been a tradition for as long as the war has been around for the clones, ever since they were born. He supposed that the tradition came from the roots of the clones themselves… the Mandalorians. In fact, some of the more older clones, like himself, knew mando’a, the language of the Mandalorians from growing up, and being personally trained by Jango Fett himself.</p><p><br/>
In his time fighting, he had come across some Mandalorians, and they frowned upon him and his brothers for how they looked, how they fought. The true mandalorians probably that the clones were probably a disgrace, a mockery of their culture. Some even frowned upon the idea of him and his brothers speaking their native tongue, assuming that it belongs solely to them. However, his brothers continued to paint and speak the tongue. He and his brothers were stubborn like that.</p><p><br/>
He wiped away the blood that continued to drip from the cuts on his friend’s face. He just hoped they weren’t infected. A bacta tank and stitches would hopefully make his better again before reaching Coruscant.</p><p><br/>
Cody grimaced. Wartime was never boring, even on a cruiser heading back to the safest place besides Kamino in the whole galaxy. It seemed to follow them everywhere, no matter where they traveled. Chaos came and went, as well as the good times. He hoped that this experience would soon turn into the latter.<br/>
A knock in the door interrupted his thoughts. With no more time that he could spare, Cody hollered at the clone on the other side of the door. He was a shiny, fresh off of Kamino, by the absence of grime and paint on his very white armor. The color almost made Cody want to shield his eyes.</p><p><br/>
That armor would soon get dirty, he would see to that personally when they would be sent out again to fight in the war, probably sooner than he hoped.</p><p><br/>
The clones didn’t move from his position at the door, and ever though he wore his helmet, Cody knew he was staring at the sight of a commander and his general covered in blood on the floor.</p><p><br/>
“Get your karking ass in here, soldier,” Cody growled at him when the clone kept staring.</p><p><br/>
The clone seemed to come to his senses, for he rushed into the room, and immediately took half of the jedi’s body weight over his own shoulders. Together, they hefted their unconscious general out of the room and into the sparse hallway.</p><p><br/>
Cody, the more experienced of the two, led the way to the med bay. He basically lived on the republic cruiser. The ship had become his home more than Coruscant or Kamino.</p><p><br/>
As they went down the various hallways, Cody noticed how young the clone truly was. It was how the clone carried himself, without an air of authority or experience. As a commander serving on the front lines early in the war, there had been no time to be a shiny like the one with him. he’d been thrust into battle, and given a blaster to defend himself that no other clone had used before. It was all brand new, and he had been a ranking officer. In that first battle, he needed to hold himself with that authority, for it demanded respect from his brothers around him. He was bred for his position, and unlike this clone, his armor was only white for perhaps a day before everything went to hell.</p><p><br/>
How long until this clone would get that respect from his brothers? How long would he actually survive? He's seen so many of his brothers fall during this war. Like the Jedi, making attachments were hard, for the clones didn't know if they'd live or die the next day.</p><p><br/>
As they passed, carrying the general in between them, officers and other clones in the hallway stared at the sight of them, covered in blood, carrying their jedi who was slumped against them. Cody leveled a hard look at each of them, and they turned away, instantly cowering.</p><p><br/>
They were going to down a particularly long hallway when they bumped into two very familiar clones.</p><p><br/>
The two soldiers immediately stopped dead in their tracks, shock outlining their war-hewn features. “What the hell happened?” Boil exclaimed, running up to them, his brother in tow. “I leave you for ten minutes to check on how things are going in the hangar, and this is what happens.” He shakes his head. “You are a magnet of trouble, commander.”</p><p><br/>
Cody smirked, not bothering to deny the claim. It was true. In his time, everything seemed to go to hell the minute he stepped on battlefields. “It wasn’t my fault this time. Rather our beloved general.” He shrugged, the action harder to do because of the extra weight.</p><p><br/>
The other clone rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “Bantha shit. That’s an excuse, and you know it. When something happens, you are always there. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is more to this story.” The clone rubbed his hands together. “I’ve wanted some drama to happen on the ship for a while.”</p><p><br/>
Beside him, Boil looked genuinely amused. “You mean to tell me that you haven’t heard the rumors of what happened just this morning?”</p><p><br/>
Indeed, Cody knew all about the antics of the clone before him. Crys knew everything that happened on the ship, and times, could be helpful to the commander.<br/>
Crys frowned, eyes narrowing at his brother. “I’ve been busy,” he retorted, though the argument wasn’t very strong, and he seemed to know it.</p><p><br/>
Boil turned on his brother, suspicion clear on his face. The action almost made Cody laugh at his seriousness. Almost. Beside him, the shiny stayed silent, probably confused about how the conversation had turned so quickly in that matter of a minute. Cody supposed that the clone hadn’t made enough friends in the other clones to start off a conversation in the middle of a hallway quite yet. “And what have you been doing all this time? Let me guess—"</p><p><br/>
Though it was always nice to be with his fellow brothers, now was not the time for such an insignificant conversation. “I’m sure that we will find out what Crys is hiding later,” Cody interrupted, and adjusted his arms so he had a better grip on his general. From carrying the jedi, they were becoming sore from the strain. “But as you can see, this is a rather delicate situation and I would rather get to the med bay as soon as possible before our commanding officer bleeds out while you bicker back and forth.”</p><p><br/>
They immediately shut up at the commanding tone that rang through Cody’s voice. The commander and the shiny kept ahold of their general in a firm grip, with the other two trailing behind them. Cody didn’t care how much noise they were making as they practically jogged down the halls, so long as they got their general to the medical bay in time. Then he would worry about the rumors that were sure to follow later. Everything would come later. The only thing he cared about what making sure that his general was safe and in better hands than his own.</p><p><br/>
They pressed on until they reached the medical bay, stopping at the unmarked door. There was no need to make a sign. All the clones knew where to go, for they had ended up in the room at least once in their lives, or on another cruiser.</p><p><br/>
Boil, noticing his other vod’s hands were full, went ahead and opened the door for them all. Cody shot him a look of gratitude as they stepped inside.<br/>
A spot in a corner of the sparse room had already been made up for the jedi, a team of medics ready to patch him up. As soon as Cody and the other clones placed the jedi on the bed, they were pushed away, and the medics got to work.</p><p><br/>
The lead medic turned to him, asking about his injuries. Cody promptly told him everything he knew, leaving out how he got them in the first place. Kenobi would tell his side of the story when he was ready for it. Cody would rather not say anything that was not true. His general would speak for himself later on. When he was done, the medic resumed his position with the rest of his team, quietly dismissing the commander without any words to do so. In war, medics were usually superior when it came to wounds or injuries. And he did not question their judgement. He trusted that the medics knew what they were doing.</p><p><br/>
His brothers stepped away as well, mute like him. For a few moments, they watched as their general was inspected, then started to be treated. When some of the medics gave them glares, he realized that they were not needed, and he turned away from the scene, heading to the other side of the room.<br/>
He couldn’t even think about going back to the bridge when his general was being treated. He had found Kenobi and would make sure that his friend was okay. The other clones followed him wordlessly.</p><p><br/>
They all grabbed a couple of chairs on the far side of the room in silence. The only sound came from the labored breathing of some clones that were still getting treated for various injuries. He knew that Kenobi would live, but back in the general’s quarters, he had definitely panicked.<br/>
What was wrong with him?</p><p><br/>
The commander prided himself on his will not to panic. And yet… he did. Was the life of a friend worth so much to him that he wasn’t even thinking straight? But how come he didn’t have this reaction when his own brothers fell around him?</p><p><br/>
Out of the corner of his eye, Cody looked at his vod next to him. The war had dragged on longer than anyone would have liked, and he wondered about how long he had yet to live before that day came. How long would his brothers have? The commander’s eye then caught the form of his general, lying on the medical bed. The jedi were always at the front lines, same as him. How long until his friend would fall? At the moment, there was no end in sight for this bloody conflict, to this slavery.</p><p><br/>
And Cody wondered if there would ever be an end.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>After receiving the message from her Master about Obi Wan’s condition, Ahsoka promptly returned to the temple. She knew it to be serious, for the way Anakin was talking…he was worried, which means she should be too.</p><p>Barriss drove the speeder back to the temple, and the ride passed in silence. Whatever happy emotion they had been feeling previously was gone, replaced by the weight of both of their positions as commanders of armies and Jedi.</p><p>Instead of talking to her friend, she spent the pleasant ride mulling over the different possibilities of Master Kenobi's condition. Though Ahsoka wasn’t as close with the Jedi as Anakin was, she still cared about him. He reminded her of a close uncle, or a father figure of sorts. She knew her Master thought of him that way too, but Anakin never said it aloud.</p><p>She never did either. They both know the Jedi Master is deeply rooted in the ideals of the Jedi like the rest of the council, and to talk about relationships or feelings—attachments…Obi Wan looks down on them both. It’s happened before in the past, many times, and she hated to be reminded she has to stuff such important emotions so deep down they can’t thrive in the light.</p><p>It seems the Jedi are nothing more than mindless soldiers now. But the Order, and the temple, was the first and only place where she is welcomed. Outside of its safety, the world did not take well to powerful beings with such dangerous abilities. Ahsoka didn’t want to be a pawn, but she didn’t want to be looked down on either.</p><p>The wind whipped over her face, the sound rushing around her montrals. The feeling settled Ahsoka, helped her calm herself in the tough seat of the speeder. Barriss turned the corner of a packed intersection, and the sun hit them both. She closed her eyes, basked in it. The light helped to soothe away her worries. She reached into the force, letting it soothe the rest of the aches still left in her heart and soul. Instinctively, she let her worries seep into the force, making her feel lighter than she felt since that morning.</p><p>As she was doing it, Ahsoka felt the subtle touch of darkness and frowned in distaste. The daughter was right—something was going on, and she was getting worried.</p><p>
  <em>The galaxy is unbalanced, young one. Can you feel it? </em>
</p><p>Ahsoka can feel it now, stronger than ever before. Maybe the Daughter has a hand in letting her see it, without clouded sight.</p><p>She turns her gaze to her friend next to her. Barriss’s face stays emotionless. Whatever happiness she had found was gone. The calm mask was unsettling for Ahsoka. Just an hour ago, a smile had been on her friend’s face, full of light and freedom. Now, as the light touched her friend, she could see Barriss frown, if only briefly, before her mask was back in place.</p><p>Ahsoka knows her friend well enough to understand something was bothering the other padawan. Their talk in the mess hall had been unsettling as well. She noticed as she spoke Barriss’s complexion and her stature was not familiar to Ahsoka as it should be. It made the Jedi worried. Ahsoka thought taking out both her and Barriss would help ease whatever pain they both felt. But it was a distraction, one that did not last long enough for either of them. She remembered Barriss telling her about the pain she has been experiencing with healing on battlefields, but she opened up easily.</p><p>No… there was something else on her friend’s mind.</p><p>She noted in the last half hour of their trip into Coruscant, Barriss became more withdrawn. Worried. They barely spoke a few words to each other before Ahsoka got the message on her wrist comm. Though she wanted to help, Ahsoka didn’t push it. She has her own problems to worry about and would rather not break whatever relationship she and Barriss has. The other padawan can take care of herself. If Barriss ever opened to her, Ahsoka would be there. She would make sure of it.</p><p>But she was still curious.</p><p>Ahsoka reached out with the force to search her friends’ signature. As a force user, she can detect fleeting emotions, and if more immersed, some vague thoughts. But the most important was sensing a person’s aura, whether they be force sensitive or not. If Ahsoka were to reach out in the temple, she would be able to sense multiple pinpricks of light, untouched by darkness. If Ahsoka were to reach out to her Master, she would be able to sense his glowing presence, as bright as a small sun, bursting with power. However, she knew if she looked again, the Jedi would feel the slivers of darkness, slowly infesting his presence.</p><p>It was a shock when she touched her friend’s essence beside her. She didn’t go too deep, didn’t penetrate the shields around her friend’s mind. Only testing the bare minimum. But as clear as the sun coating them both, her friend felt like her Master. Ahsoka at once withdrew her presence, fearful Barriss would pick up on the sudden action. She held her breath, waiting for the other padawan to turn on her, to demand what she had been doing. But the speeder remained silent. Relieved, Ahsoka retracted herself from the force, mulling over the newfound information.</p><p>Early in the war, Barriss was fine…stoic, but fine. Now though… Ahsoka is more worried for her friend than ever before, she can now detect the smallest traces of darkness. Was her friend as in danger as her Master is? Should she be more focused on her friend? But if she were to approach Barriss about it, the padawan would refuse whatever information she brought to light. There would be no going back from such an action.</p><p>Ahsoka cherished the bond she has with Barriss, and she doesn’t want to lose it. Instead, she shook the thoughts of her friend out of her mind. Ahsoka would deal with Barriss some other time when she has a clear mind to do so.</p><p>A few minutes later, the pair pulled up to the temple.</p><p>Barriss would drop Ahsoka off at the steps and park the speeder in the designated lot behind the building herself. Seeming to realize the importance of getting back to the temple as quickly as possible, her friend didn’t push it.</p><p>Ahsoka was getting out of the speeder when she stopped, finally knowing what she needed to say. “You know I’m always here for you, right?”</p><p>The words caught her friend by her surprise. She blinked, opening her mouth to speak, but shut it again. Barriss’s eyes were unfocused as she turned her attention back to the speeder. The words were so quiet over the roar of the traffic, Ahsoka could barely hear them, even with her better hearing. “I know,” Barriss whispered before she sped away, leaving Ahsoka alone on temple steps.</p><p>Not bothering to fret on Barriss anymore, Ahsoka pushed her friend out of her mind, and instead focused on the more important thing at hand. She stretched out with her feelings using the force, searching. Ahsoka frowned deeply when she sensed Obi Wan in the Halls of Healing, surrounded by other, familiar pinpricks of light.</p><p>Ahsoka practically ran up the temple steps, ignoring the confused looks of the other Jedi as she passed. Ahsoka didn’t give a shit right now. All she cared about is making sure Obi Wan was okay.</p><p>Muscle memory had Ahsoka’s legs move her deeper into the temple, her mind preoccupied on the Jedi Master.</p><p>How badly was he hurt? Would Obi Wan heal? How serious was his state? The thoughts rushed through her head. She was so immersed in her own mind she almost banged her head on the door of the Halls of Healing when she came up to it. She hissed at her own foolishness before composing herself to the best of her ability.</p><p>Behind the door, she could detect multiple council members, their presences familiar. However, they weren’t soothing. Whenever she was in front of the council, she could feel their eyes, intentions. It made shivers crawl down her spine. Her composure and facial expression neutral, shields guarded and locked up tight, she opened the door by touching the button next to it.</p><p>Upon entering the room, four pairs of eyes fixed on her.</p><p>Ahsoka, having dealt with superior gazes most of her life, didn’t cower away. Instead, she stood taller, set her shoulders back. Ahsoka deserved to be here, and wanted the others in the room to know that fact as well.</p><p>Obi Wan was lying in a medical bed at the end of the room, cuts adorning his face, eyes clouded. Surrounding him were three of the most familiar council members. Ahsoka relaxed, but not fully. She would never be comfortable in their presence, not with their searching eyes and soul-crushing ideals. She could never turn into someone like that. Someone so unfeeling. She couldn’t think about not living without some semblance of personality, even if it were only battle strategy and superior mindsets.</p><p>While the looks from the Jedi Masters were rock hard, Obi Wan’s and Anakin’s were the opposite. Though there wasn’t as much happiness as she usually saw from the Jedi, Kenobi’s face brightened when he saw her. Obi Wan gave her a small smile, one she happily returned. Ahsoka was glad he wasn’t too injured. Force knows it could’ve been worse.</p><p>Anakin’s face held his usual smirk of arrogance, his blue eyes bright. But she knew if she opened up the bond between them, let her shields down, she would feel his frustration, his lack of control. A mask to hide what he is truly feeling. Her Master was handling everything well so far. But what happened when the calm exterior began to fray? She knows what Anakin is like when unbalanced. Her mind flashed to a pair of amber eyes in a bloody field, full of rage and fear. How long before he turned into the one thing a Jedi wasn’t supposed to be?</p><p>Ahsoka couldn’t look at him anymore, for she kept getting flashes of her vision, of the Daughter’s warning. She didn’t want that on her mind right now. She turned away from him, and a wave of confusion and sadness crept down the bond she shared with her Master.</p><p>Swallowing the guilt which was slowly plaguing her, Ahsoka made her way to the other side of the room.</p><p>“Masters,” she said sincerely, giving a small bow of respect to the Jedi in front of her. In turn, they gave subtle nods for her rank as a padawan, rather than a full bow. She was perfectly fine with it. She focused her gaze on Obi Wan. “I came as soon as I heard the news. How are you feeling, Master Kenobi?”</p><p>The Master smiled slightly, but Ahsoka noticed the pain and guilt in his eyes, a reflection of her own. “As well as can be expected Ahsoka,” he said, his voice warm. “Thank you for coming. It truly means a lot to me for you to be here.” <em>That you care</em>.</p><p><em>Same here Master</em>.</p><p>Windu cleared his throat next to her. “Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, perhaps someone could tell me why the padawan is here.” His voice was like ice.</p><p>Ahsoka wanted to glare at him, but she refrained. She didn’t want to make an enemy. “I received a message to be here,” she replied simply. Ahsoka looked at the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. She could see the suspicion in his eyes as well. What exactly made her so untrustworthy to begin with?</p><p>Master Windu beat her to the glare, his eyes scalding. She didn’t flinch. “Only more experienced Jedi are allowed in this meeting, Padawan Tano. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” He hurled around her name like it was an insult.</p><p>Though she was usually level headed, at least more so than her Master, the tips of her montrals turned a shade brighter in rage. She opened her mouth to retort the statement—that she was supposed to be here when another beat her to it. “I know you’re not as familiar with Padawan Tano as I am, but I trust Ahsoka with my life,” Obi Wan stated, his expression passive, voice firm. “I want her to be here for this. She earned my trust long ago, as she should’ve earned yours.”</p><p>Master Windu’s jaw clenched, but he remained silent, unwilling to argue further. Ahsoka stood up straighter, and she sent a look of gratitude to Obi Wan. The Jedi nodded his head in understanding. Windu could be hard and unyielding at times and it was difficult to earn his trust. Most of the time, she didn’t have supporters when she was talked down to. Having Obi Wan defending her…it felt good.</p><p>But something was still tugging at her mind. Why had she not been invited to this meeting in the first place? She glanced at her Master from across Obi Wan’s bed. Is that why she received the message of the Jedi’s condition from Anakin only? Ahsoka frowned. She had to assume it was the reason for him being silent while Windu criticized her. She wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place, and the thought made her annoyed.</p><p>She must have sent the last bit of thought down the bond between her and Anakin, for his face scrunched up. She winced slightly. Wanting to fix her mistake, she sent a wave of calm back to him, trying to make him understand it wasn’t his fault. Even though it was, Ahsoka didn’t want things to be as strained as they were already starting to become.</p><p>A few moments passed, waiting for his answer. She finally got it when he lowered his shields only a fraction to send a feeling of apology back to her. Ahsoka gave him a small smile, hoping he could see she forgives him. His eyes brightened so much she didn’t even realize they had been dulled in the first place. The look was like a punch to the gut. Now Ahsoka couldn’t get the pair of amber eyes out of her mind’s eye, so different from the blue she knows well.</p><p>She took in a deep breath and let the piece of her vision fade. Her Master wasn’t a ghost, a piece of what he is now. Anakin is whole and she will keep it that way.</p><p>“Are you alright Padawan Tano?” Ahsoka blinked, coming back to reality. The voice had been the one of the Grandmasters. In it, she detected worry, and suspicion. When was he <em>not </em> filled with such? She checked her mental shields to make sure she wasn’t broadcasting anything to any of the Jedi in the room. Ahsoka had to pretend like everything is normal.</p><p>She forced a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thank you for your concern. But I’m fine.”</p><p>Yoda nodded, tapping his wooden stick on the ground with a sound of finality. “Good, good. Worried about Obi Wan, we should be.” Ahsoka could sense he was unconvinced of her statement. She kept her expression as calm as the rest of the Jedi in the room.</p><p>Except for Anakin.</p><p>Her Master’s face was full of worry, confusion. And she could sense the multiple emotions from him through their training bond. He really didn’t have his emotions in check today. She sent a wave of reassurance. The padawan didn’t want to make him worry.</p><p>It was Master Windu who broke the silence. “Now that we’re all here,” he gave Ahsoka a withering look, “why don’t you tell us about what happened on Florrum. We want to know what actually happened.” A glance at Master Yoda. “And if we need to keep the events on the planet classified.”</p><p>Obi Wan looked like he swallowed something he didn’t like, and Ahsoka felt sympathy for him. But she also wanted to hear what occurred on the planet. Judging by the look on the Jedi Master’s face, and his condition, she would say it didn’t go so well. “I would rather not go into much detail,” Obi Wan said finally, after a few moments of silence. “But I can say Master Gallia and I encountered Maul and his apprentice on the planet.” His gaze turned to his hands fiddling in his lap. “As you already know by now, Adi did not survive.”</p><p>“And the Sith?” Windu asked.</p><p>Obi Wan shook his head. “They were trying to escape when their ship blew up trying to make it out of the atmosphere.”</p><p>Ahsoka sucked in a breath. Master Gallia was gone? She tried to wrap her head around the information, wanting it to make sense. In all her time searching with her Master, Ahsoka never thought… she feared to think if they encountered the Sith instead while searching. The pair was so much more powerful than she had previously imagined. Surviving with only half of a body was quite a feat in itself.</p><p>Yoda narrowed his forest green eyes. Ahsoka noticed his claws grasped around his stick tighter. “Think they are alive, do you?” he asked. His abnormally large ears flatten against his wrinkled head.</p><p>Obi Wan stroked his chin, thinking about the question for a moment. “In my time during this war, it has been hard to kill their kind. And with no evidence of their bodies in the crash, I doubt they are truly dead. Though they were wounded from my fight with them, I have a feeling they’re still alive.” There was a bitterness in Obi Wan’s voice as he spoke. She only picked it up because she knew him so well.</p><p>From the way his brow furrowed, his rigid posture—whatever happened on Florrum definitely made the Jedi Master unsettled, more so than Ahsoka has ever seen him. Ahsoka knew of Obi Wan’s past, if only a summary. She knew he had bested the Sith in combat, and for many years, the council thought he was dead.</p><p>Windu frowned at his answer. “That isn’t very reassuring.”</p><p>Anakin spoke up. “It shouldn’t be,” he said, jaw clenching with barely restrained anger. “If Obi Wan thinks these two Sith are still alive, we should be out there searching for them. Force knows what could happen if we don’t find them in time.” A wave of impatience flared down the bond. Ahsoka agreed with her master’s statement. But she knew the council well, so she was expecting the answer from the Grandmaster, much to her own disappointment.</p><p>Yoda hummed to himself. “A priority, the war is. Must be our first goal. To save lives.” The green creature closed his eyes. “Uncertain, the future is. Sense an outcome, I do not.” Yoda sighed. “For now, we cannot pursue this. If return, the Sith do, ready and act if necessary, we will.”</p><p>Anakin crossed his arms over his chest, staring the Grandmaster down with his icy blue eyes. “I don’t think this is a wise course of action,” he said stubbornly.</p><p>Windu gave him his signature look, but Anakin didn’t back down. Ahsoka knows where she gets the confidence from now. “And what would you have us do, Skywalker? Take more Jedi off from their missions, fighting in a war we are barely winning? To search for something, for all we know, could be a dead end?”</p><p>“There is always the possibility—”</p><p>“Anakin.” Obi Wan’s voice was barely over a whisper. However, everyone could hear him, and Anakin lapsed into silence. “I know this isn’t the best choice, but it’s the smartest. You need to have faith in our decision, even if you don’t agree.”</p><p>Her Master turned away from them all. If Ahsoka could see his face, she knew it would be filled with annoyance. “I understand.” He said softly, defeat clear in his tone. He made eye contact again with Obi Wan. Ahsoka could see the fire in them. “But I hope for all of our sakes you are making the right choice.”</p><p>Windu scoffed at her master’s comment. “We know what we’re doing.”</p><p>Ahsoka really hoped so.</p><p>In the past, not all their decisions were made with the best of intentions. It was biased of her, but the council thought themselves immune, invincible because of their abilities before the war. They were as fearful of the outcome of the conflict as much as she was, Ahsoka realized. She studied the master’s more closely. Indeed, there are dark circles under their eyes, weariness. And if not a bit of paranoia.</p><p>“I think this should go off the record,” Windu stated, looking to Master Yoda for approval. “If word got out about the possibility of Sith out in the galaxy unchecked, we could have a serious problem.”</p><p>Ahsoka noticed the rest of them never asked her for that. The approval. She assumed it was because of her age, her rank as a Jedi. She wondered if there would ever come a day when she was needed for her thoughts or decisions. Now, they did not matter in the slightest. She hoped it would change in the future as she grew older, gained more experience enough to be heard.</p><p>“I understand why you want to keep this from the public,” Anakin said, “But don’t they deserve the right to know about what had transpired on Florrum? This could put their safety at risk as much as ours.”</p><p>Windu held up a hand. “We know. But it would be better if there wasn’t any widespread panic. We don’t even know if the Sith are still alive. Better to keep this information from the public unless absolutely necessary.”</p><p>“Agree with you, I do,” Yoda said.</p><p>Across the room, an unmarked door opened, and everyone's heads swiveled towards the noise. Vokara Che stepped into her room in her usual splendor, robes billowing around her. “Now that you’ve settled everything, I would like you all to leave. My patient needs his rest.”</p><p>As Chief Healer, her word is law in this part of the Jedi temple. Indeed, Obi Wan seemed to tire when someone else opened their mouths to speak. Now his eyes were half closed with exhaustion.</p><p>Yoda nodded. “Leave, we will. Healing, Obi Wan needs. Later, we will discuss this.” Ahsoka was not going to be invited to that meeting. Not that she had been invited to this one either. “A funeral at sunset for Master Gallia, there should be. Need to make the necessary preparations, we do.”</p><p>The blue skinned Twi’lek healer murmured a few words to Yoda as the rest of the party was heading out. Even with her montrals, she couldn’t hear them as they were spoken. She assumed the conversation is about the funeral for the master, what needed to be done beforehand. But it was none of her business anyway.</p><p>Sensing her annoyance, her Master came to her side, bumping his shoulder with her own. “That went well, all things considered,” he said, his smirk back.</p><p>Though some would say he was fine, Ahsoka knew he was hiding his pain underneath. This decision had been personal, for both him and Obi Wan. Master Qui Gon was still widely respected in the temple, and as a youngling, she watched holo’s of him teaching her class. She didn’t know enough detail to understand the relationship they had, but she came to the conclusion it must’ve been close enough for her Master to act on his defiant side back in the Halls of Healing. 

</p><p>Ahsoka gave him a grim smile in return. “There have been worse meetings,” she agreed.</p><p>Her Master chuckled, but the happiness didn’t last long.</p><p>Ahsoka had only taken a few steps when her montrals picked up a sound behind her. She turned around sharply, hands going to her lightsabers on instinct before she looked down.</p><p>She blinked in surprise. “Master Yoda,” she said, releasing the grip on the two weapons clipped to her belt at each hip, suddenly feeling guilty of such a violent action. Ahsoka spent way too much time on battlefields.</p><p>Beside her, Anakin stiffened. He was not over the meeting yet, just as predicted. “Do you need anything Master?” Anakin asked, but his voice lacked the warmth with which he was just talking.</p><p>Master Yoda tipped his head toward her. “A moment perhaps? With your Padawan.”</p><p>Her Master nodded. “Of course.” He turned back to face her. “See you later Snips,” Anakin murmured, shooting her a look of warning before he left, heading down the empty corridor and out of sight. Anakin doesn’t trust the Grandmaster. However he is the leader of the Jedi, and in turn has her respect.</p><p>The setting sun cut through the windows to her right, coating both her and the Master in its hazy light. “What can I do for you Master?” Ahsoka said it in the sincerest voice she could, without dripping any impatience into her words.</p><p>Yoda’s face became amused. That was never a good sign. “Not what you can do for me, Padawan Tano. Rather, for you.”</p><p>Ahsoka gave him a puzzled look. “I don’t really understand what you’re asking.” That was a lie. She knew where this conversation was going, and it made her unnerved by how observant the Jedi really was, especially if it was a mere padawan such as her.</p><p>The Jedi Master let out a small huff, almost a laugh. “Walk with me, would you?”</p><p>She did, letting him take the lead. He set a pace more relaxed than she would’ve preferred. Time on battlefields taught her to walk faster. Time was important, and survival depended on it. Yoda was shorter than her and walked slower as a result. But she knew if he wanted to, he could pick up the pace if he wished. The Grandmaster looked elderly—yes, but she knew from a young age it was an illusion. Ahsoka would never underestimate someone such as him, even if he is short and wrinkly. She assumed he held more strength in him than most Jedi possess. leading an entire order was proof of that. </p><p>They walked for a few minutes in silence, the only sound the tapping of Yoda’s wooden stick on the floor as they traveled. Eventually, Yoda stopped at a door, and she did as well. With a press of a button, the door opened, and the Grandmaster stepped into the dimly lit room. She followed him inside, knowing how this would end. With grace, the elderly Jedi settled himself on what of the seats in the room, and Ahsoka followed suit, not wanting to be rude for his concern and hospitality.</p><p>At least, she hoped that was the case, especially since she was in his own quarters.</p><p>“Alone, we now are. Talk freely, you may,” Yoda said, eyes bright even with the absence of most of the light in the room. The only source came from in-between the blinds behind them both.</p><p>“I don’t really know what to talk about,” Ahsoka said truthfully. She could talk about what's bothering her, but she didn’t want to pour everything on the Jedi. the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, no less. He wasn’t her personal diary.</p><p>Yoda shifted on top of his seat, settling his stick in his lap. “During the meeting. Many things I felt coming from you, young one.”</p><p>The title ‘Young One’ was like a slap to her face and Ahsoka flinched. How many times has the Daughter called her that? Had rubbed it into her face she was her masters only hope of salvation, yet too young to carry such a burden? Most of her life, she had been called such. Whenever she forgot how young she truly is, someone reminds her with the use of the term. It’s a common name, usually associated through the relationship between a master and their padawan. Used to show superiority. Ahsoka knows that it was bestowed on Anakin when he was a padawan to Master Kenobi. Now her master extends the same favor to her as well.</p><p>A very nice sentiment, she thought dryly.</p><p>She was starting to lose her composure, in front of a Jedi Master no less. With the last dregs of strength she still had, fixed her mental and physical armor before he could see anything else. Ahsoka needed to be strong right now.</p><p>But still, Yoda noticed the small action. His eyes narrowed, suspicion filling them as if the emotion never left in the first place. She rechecked her mental shields to make sure she wasn’t broadcasting anything to him. Ahsoka had to stay under the radar if she were to carry out the wish of the force and the Daughter. She must deal with her vision and the warning by herself.</p><p>Ahsoka first needed to figure this out on her own, without the council, and without Anakin. To do that, she must act like everything is normal.</p><p>If by normal, she meant being an army commander leading hundreds of clones to their demise every week on various battlefields. Or having visions from a mysterious, supposedly dead goddess who saved Ahsoka’s life so long ago.</p><p>Totally an average teenager.</p><p>“Trust me, you do not padawan,” Yoda said, leaning forward in his seat. “Know this, I do.”</p><p>Ahsoka stiffened, her posture going rigid. “Why would you say that Master?”</p><p>“Closed off, you are. Spoke a word in the meeting about our decision and Master Kenobi’s statement, you did not.”</p><p>The padawan looked down at her lap. She didn’t want to see whatever was on the Grandmaster’s face. “I didn’t think my opinion was necessary for you, Master Kenobi, or Master Windu to make a decision that wasn’t supposed to be my own,” Ahsoka said truthfully.</p><p>Yoda stayed silent, processing what she said for a full minute. It felt like forever when he finally spoke again. “Felt you weren’t wanted, did you?” Instead of answering, Ahsoka just nodded mutely. The Jedi Master hummed. “Apologize I do, for Master Windu’s behavior. To criticize you, he shouldn’t have.”</p><p>Ahsoka was stunned, and her wide eyes snapped to Yoda again. She was at a loss for words. Master Windu, most of the time, was condescending and cold towards her. Today was no exception. For Yoda to apologize…well, it’s never happened before.</p><p>A very unusual day, Ahsoka thought.</p><p>He leaned forward. “But that’s not what is bothering you. Fear I sensed in you, in the Halls of Healing.”</p><p>She swallowed the panic rising in her throat. If the Jedi can feel her fear, what if her Master can feel it too? She didn’t want to lie to him if he approached her about the subject, as Yoda did. What would she say to him? What explanation would she need to make? Ahsoka couldn’t tell Anakin about her vision. That was out of the question. She didn’t want to lie, but she realized she would have to if the time came.</p><p>“And fear I sense in you now,” Yoda added softly.</p><p>Ahsoka cursed herself mentally. On instinct, she reinforced the shields around her mind, making them impenetrable.</p><p>It was true; she was fearful of what the future held. For them all.</p><p>Now that she was in front of Master Yoda, she wanted to tell him of her vision. But with all the strength she could muster, resisted the action to do so. The daughter approached her for a reason, as well as the force. It was her burden to bear, rather than the Jedi in front of her. If Ahsoka were to tell him, she would feel as if she was betraying her Master. The future wasn’t set in stone yet, and the Jedi council had enough to deal with.</p><p>The council has always been suspicious of her Master. For his feelings, his unorthodox methods which don’t coincide with the ways of the Order. She didn’t want whatever trust the weary council put in Anakin to be ripped apart by her actions. The Grandmaster is loyal to his ideals, as Ahsoka is to hers. And she could never betray her Master, or the Daughter in such a way.</p><p>“The war has been going on for so long. It is difficult to deal with at times,” she said, keeping the bite out of her words. Her talk with Barriss just a bit ago entered her mind.</p><p>
  <em>Do you ever wonder what the galaxy would've been like if the Jedi weren't apart of this war? </em>
</p><p>Ahsoka could. She wanted the war to end too, more than anyone knew.</p><p>They all did.</p><p>“A heavy burden, leading an army is,” Yoda whispered. In his voice…was that empathy? “Young you are, to experience this.”</p><p>“I have a duty to the republic,” she said simply. “And I don’t intend to back down from such a position where I could create change. I feel that to save lives, fighting can make a difference.”</p><p>Yoda smiled sadly. Ahsoka noted his face seemed to age as she spoke. The war has had an even greater impact on the Jedi Master than herself. She suddenly felt more guilt climbing to the surface, threatening to tear down her mental shields. She shoved the emotion away, burying it deep enough where even she could not sense it.</p><p>The Jedi became solemn. “A perspective you share with many of the Jedi, you do,” Yoda answered. Ahsoka nodded but remained silent. She shifted in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable. “But the whole truth, you have not given.” He closed his eyes. “More that is bothering you, I feel.”</p><p>Ahsoka started to panic. “I respect you, Master. But what’s bothering me is personal. I would rather keep it to myself.”</p><p>His eyes narrowed. “Dangerous, that is,” Yoda warned. “Secrets, fear. The greatest allies of the dark side, they are. Trust you, I do. But weary of you, I am.”</p><p>This Jedi is truly too paranoid. She narrowed her eyes. “Trust me? But you’re suspicious of my intentions. Pardon me, but I don’t feel that that’s true, especially from where I’m sitting.”</p><p>Yoda sighed, and he seemed to become smaller in stature from her words. “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering,” he stated with such familiarity Ahsoka wouldn’t be surprised if he recited it to other Jedi when the Master thought they needed such wisdom.</p><p>Ahsoka didn’t feel the words were wise. But rather were from a place of fear and paranoia instead.</p><p>However, she would never voice such thoughts aloud.</p><p>“Thank you for the wisdom,” she said sincerely. “And I am thankful for the trust between us, as well as your concern for my well being. But I need to solve my problems on my own.”</p><p>Yoda pointed a claw at the door, clearly a dismissal. “Then go, you may. if you do not want to speak anymore.”</p><p>Though she wanted to flee from the room as fast as possible, she took her time. Nothing was wrong, and she needed to act like it. She bowed to the Grandmaster out of respect. Yoda inclined his head in turn, more so than he had in the halls of healing, she noted with a small smile.</p><p>Ahsoka was just walking out the door when he said, “May the force be with you, Young One.”</p><p>She turned back to him, the name ringing like a warning bell in her mind. Yoda was looking at her with an emotion she just couldn’t place, but before she could, the door closed in front of her, officially ending the odd conversation with the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order.</p><p>Ahsoka promptly headed back to the apartment she shared with Anakin, mulling over what just happened. If she was to keep her vision a secret to all but herself, Ahsoka needed better control over her emotions, especially when she was in the presence of more experienced Jedi. Back in his quarters, Yoda read her like an open book, even with her mind under heavy shields, and was positive she wasn’t broadcasting any emotion or private thoughts. Maybe he was just good at reading people, she mused. Yoda was almost nine-hundred years old. The Jedi probably picked up a thing or two during his long lifespan.</p><p>But she also started to doubt her own abilities. Afterall, she was only a padawan, and still had a lot to learn before she became a knight. If she was so inexperienced, why did the daughter choose her? The goddess could’ve picked any number of Jedi…except she was close with Anakin. That must be the only reason. Not for her abilities, but the relationships she cherished most. So why did the Daughter choose her instead of Master Kenobi? The Jedi knew his former padawan the most, and he had years of training compared to her.</p><p>Yet...Ahsoka remembered Obi Wan’s expression in the halls of healing, how weak he was. How unstable and unbalanced he felt.</p><p>So…she’s the best choice because there's no one else.</p><p>
  <em>Typical. </em>
</p><p>Ahsoka picked up the pace, wanting to reach the apartment as fast as possible. Though the temple’s been more vacant since the start of the war, many Jedi still occupied the hallways, most of them elderly. She might just be paranoid, but Ahsoka felt as if they were staring at her. The walls seemed to be closing in, even when there was plenty of space.</p><p>Ahsoka rounded a corner, almost to the apartment, when she felt a familiar presence in the force before she rammed into the person.</p><p>She hissed, clutching her head in pain from the impact. A pounding around her temples started, just as it had that morning.</p><p>Barriss stood in front of her, rubbing her head from where they collided into each other. When the pain eased, her friend locked gazes with her. Ahsoka swallowed. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but she could’ve sworn she saw a hint of amber in her brown eyes before the color disappeared.</p><p>“Watch where you’re going,” Barriss growled, sidestepping her. Without another word, her friend hurried down the hall and turned another corner, out of sight.</p><p>Ahsoka frowned at her friend’s behavior. She had been with Barriss just an hour ago, and now she was a completely different person.</p><p>Something was going on, Ahsoka could feel it.</p><p>Hesitantly, she closed her eyes, and reached deeper into the force. Instead of warmth and light, Ahsoka could feel more darkness.</p><p>The Jedi went even further, and when she did, Ahsoka could hear a voice.</p><p>Old but young. Wise but naïve. Light and dark.</p><p><em>Beware, Young One,</em> the force sang to her, repeatedly. Ahsoka could barely hear the message over the pounding in her own montrals.</p><p><em>What is wrong?</em>  She asked hesitantly, sending her mental thought into the force.</p><p>
  <em>Danger, Young One. Beware. </em>
</p><p>Ahsoka was in shock. Never has the force communed with her, not personally. This message is solely for her, and no one else. She needs to find out what’s going on before it’s too late.</p><p>And the Jedi has a feeling time is running out.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>